


The Sun is Patient

by krashoheath



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2018-07-12 08:07:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 96,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7093657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krashoheath/pseuds/krashoheath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tobin has always been free-spirited, which leads some people to find her mysterious. Maybe all Tobin needs is someone with a sunny personality to open her up a little...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to this untitled Preath AU! This is my first fic, and I have only very loose ideas about its path right now. I'm open to comments and suggestions! Enjoy.

Tobin brakes herself, stepping off her longboard and pressing her bare foot against the board’s tail to flip the front end up to meet her hand. She steadies the board against the front of her thigh and retrieves her vibrating phone from the pocket of her shorts. She answers the call without checking the screen to see who is calling.

“I thought you were having quality married couple time with Servando this weekend,” Tobin teases as she sits down on the sidewalk curb, propping her feet on her longboard. 

“Hello to you, too,” Alex sasses. “He was called in for an interview with some local station or something. I told him to go ahead because our free days match up next week anyway. Plus, I have something I want to do with you instead!” 

Tobin runs her right hand through her long, tangled waves, and braces herself for Alex’s master plan. “Is this something we will both enjoy or -”

Alex cuts her off. “Oh, you’ll love it, don’t worry!”

Tobin shakes her head to herself, using her feet to glide her board back and forth in front of where she sits. Alex is always scheming to get Tobin to go out more, but they usually end up shopping, getting manicures, or tanning. Tobin loves her best friend and doesn’t mind spending time doing Alex’s favorite things, but occasionally she needs a break from Alex’s diva lifestyle off the pitch. 

“...and it’s at this new studio that is right on the beach and you can see the ocean from the windows and sometimes they do classes out - Tobs, are you even listening to me?!” Alex huffs from the other end of the line. 

Tobin tunes back in, not realizing that she had zoned out in the first place. “Sure, Al, it sounds great. When are we going?” 

“I signed us up for tomorrow morning’s 9 o’clock session. We can get brunch after, you know, at that really cute bistro down the street and it’ll be great! Then we could stop by that store we passed where they had…” 

Tobin stands up and steps back onto her board, kicking off to make small circles while Alex rambles on about all the things she wants to do tomorrow. She chuckles and hums responses at appropriate intervals as Alex talks on and on about her plan. Finally, Alex cuts herself off, saying she’s nearly late for her hair appointment. They say goodbye and Tobin slips her phone back into her pocket before kicking off with her left foot and turning her board toward home.

**. . .**

Tobin wakes up with a start the next morning as Alex parades into her bedroom in the small house she shares with Allie and Kelley.

“Wake up, wake up! We’re going to be late for our yoga date! What are you doing still in bed?!” Alex scolds as she tosses Tobin’s blankets aside, leaving her exposed in a sports bra and Nike shorts. “Get UP!” 

Tobin groans and throws an arm across her eyes when Alex lifts all of the blinds on the windows. “Al, it’s 8 o’clock on a Sunday morning, come on.” 

“Yes, I know it is. And we have two spots in this morning’s yoga class at the hot new studio on the beach,” Alex points out matter-of-factly as she begins rifling through Tobin’s dresser in search of an appropriate yoga outfit. 

“Oh, right, yoga,” Tobin mutters as she drags herself upright in her bed before swinging her legs over the edge. She doesn’t recall that part of yesterday’s phone call, but she knows that she has little choice in the matter, since Alex is already here and Tobin apparently agreed to doing this with her. Tobin stands and stumbles into her ensuite bathroom, pushing the door half-closed behind her. 

“Could you sound more excited, please?! I’m really looking forward to this. It’ll be like a work out and a day off all in one hour!” Alex gushes. She finally plucks a pair of black leggings and a loose tank top from the various piles of clothing strewn about Tobin’s room, and she tosses them through the crack left in the bathroom door for Tobin to put on. “Hurry up!” 

Tobin continues to take her sweet time, brushing her teeth and rolling her eyes as Alex checks the time on her phone’s lock screen seven times in two minutes. 

“You know, Al, checking the time over and over doesn’t make it move faster,” Tobin points out after spitting toothpaste into the sink. She rinses her mouth, wipes the back of her hand across her lips, and reaches for her long hair, untangling it with her fingers as she sweeps it up into a bun. 

“Tobin, we’re not going to be early and that’s not how you make a good first impression! What if we want to continue going to this studio?! What if I don’t get a spot where I can see the ocean from the window as advertised?! What if -”

“Alex,” Tobin breathes out with a small sigh. She walks toward her best friend and places one hand firmly on each of Alex’s shoulders. “We’ll be fine. We will get there right on time - five minutes early just for you - and we will make a great impression and you will get to see the ocean, okay?” Tobin looks Alex in the eye and gives her a gentle smile. “Relax.” 

Alex nods and lets out the breath she was holding after Tobin cut her off. “Okay, just get dressed, will you?” 

Tobin chuckles as she swaps her shorts for the leggings and tugs the tank over her head, causing a few strands of her bun to fall loose around her face. She scans the room for her flip flops before deciding they must be downstairs. 

“Come on,” Tobin says, taking Alex’s wrist and guiding her toward the stairs while Alex texts. 

Once downstairs, Alex heads straight to her car, hoping to urge Tobin to hurry. Tobin grabs her keys, phone, and a water bottle, and slides her feet into her black flip flops on her way out the door. She thinks to leave a note for her roommates, but doesn’t want to keep Alex waiting. 

Tobin shuffles toward Alex’s car in her driveway, scrolling through her phone as she goes. Alex leans over from the driver’s seat to open the passenger door, still hoping to urge Tobin along. Finally, Tobin slides into the passenger seat. “See, it’s only 8:30! We’ll make it!” she reassures Alex as she closes the car door behind her.

Alex shifts into reverse and backs swiftly out of the driveway, muttering to herself about being on time.

**. . .**

Tobin climbs the steps up to the yoga studio, following Alex, who bounded up the stairs two at a time. She kicks her flip flops off into the pile of shoes outside the door as Alex leans onto Tobin’s shoulder to remove her Nike sneakers. Tobin watches Alex gently place her shoes under a bench to the right of the door, tucking her socks inside them in her typical organized fashion.

“Ready?” Alex asks, her voice peppy and eyes bright. Tobin gives her a small smile and shrugs casually, motioning for Alex to lead the way. Alex picks two purple mats out of the corner of the studio’s lobby, signing their names on the “borrowed items” book on the front desk, before leading Tobin around the corner.

Tobin follows Alex down a short hallway, scanning the walls which are covered in tapestries and posters depicting various yoga poses. Scents of burning lavender incense and salty ocean air flood Tobin’s nose as they enter the large, open studio. Several people have already arrived and laid out their yoga mats, claiming their spots on the shiny bamboo floor. Some are gently stretching to warm up, while others are chatting quietly. 

“Ooh, let’s put our mats over there!” Alex points to the far side of the studio where there is still unoccupied space near the windows. “That way we can see the ocean!” 

“Just like you wanted,” Tobin murmurs with a grin as she follows Alex across the studio, weaving through people clad in leggings and jogger pants sitting and standing on their brightly-colored mats. 

Alex rolls out a mat for herself right next to the window, placing the other to her left for Tobin. She briskly walks across the studio and back down the hall to fill up her water bottle, leaving Tobin to sit on her mat and look out over the ocean. _It really is a fantastic view_ , Tobin thinks to herself. 

She’s pulled from her thoughts by a gentle voice behind her and a light touch on the back of her left shoulder. “Hi, is this your first time at the studio?”

Tobin turns her head to the left and looks up to meet a pair of hazel-y green eyes. She nods, suddenly unable to form words. 

“That’s great! My name is Christen and I’ll be your instructor today. Are you new to yoga, as well?” 

Tobin nods again, taken aback by Christen’s sweet smile. 

Christen giggles quietly at Tobin’s lack of words. “Let me know if I can do anything for either of you any time during the session, okay?” She motions between Tobin and Alex, who has reappeared with a full water bottle and a few pamphlets in her hand. Tobin simply nods again, and gives Christen the best smile she can muster. 

Alex steps in front of Tobin as Christen moves around the room, greeting her regulars and introducing herself to the other few newcomers. She plants her hands on her hips and nudges Tobin’s knee with her bare foot. Tobin slowly turns her gaze away from Christen, still in awe, as she looks up to meet her best friend’s knowing look. 

Alex raises an eyebrow and asks, “What was that?” 

Tobin shakes her head to bring herself back to the real world. “That’s Christen, our instructor. She was just introducing herself and welcoming us,” she supplies, her tone slightly defensive. 

Alex picks up on Tobin’s tone, of course, and nods her head, eyebrow still raised. “Sure… You did a great job introducing yourself back, Dopey.” Alex takes a seat on her mat as Tobin reaches over and gently jabs her left bicep. 

Christen takes her place at the front of the class, standing with her feet together and her arms open to the room. “Welcome, everyone! Thank you so much for joining me this morning. I am so grateful to share this beautiful new studio with you all, and would like to extend a special thank you to those of you who followed me here from my last studio! This is such a great space, isn’t it?” The room fills with happy murmurs and nods of approval. Tobin finds herself much more focused on the front of the room, while others let their eyes wander across the new space. 

Christen smiles and presses her hands together at her heart. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

Tobin feels Alex’s eyes on her and quickly reaches for her water bottle, taking a sip for a chance to ground her thoughts. “What have you gotten me into, Al?” she whispers accusingly. 

Alex just shrugs and smiles, beginning to follow Christen’s gentle instructions.

**. . .**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, another chapter! I'm so excited that you guys are liking this story so far.

Tobin is on break from a post-practice Friday night video game binge with her roommate, Allie, when she gets a text from Alex. Allie is still in the kitchen getting snacks, so Tobin opens the message. 

Alex: _Want to go to yoga again Sunday a.m.?_

Tobin sinks into the couch and lets out a deep breath as she considers her response. She did enjoy last week’s yoga class, much to the surprise of Alex and herself, but she’s not sure about making it a weekly thing. For one, she hates giving up her precious Sunday sleep-in hours, especially with the season picking up. Tobin is hesitant for another reason, though. She’s not sure if she can handle spending an hour or more each week in the presence of Christen the yoga instructor. She barely made it through that first class without making a fool of herself as she was distracted over and over by Christen. 

Tobin types a response to Alex: _Yep would love to try a diff. class! Let’s do it_

Alex quickly replies: _Yay!! I’ll check out the other options and sign us up_

Tobin is relieved when Alex doesn’t ask any questions. Maybe she isn’t as suspicious as Tobin had feared after Alex caught her staring and fumbling last week. 

**. . .**

Throughout the rest of the weekend, Tobin finds herself looking forward to the class, knowing that she’ll get to spend time with her best friend doing something they both like - finally - and she won’t have to be so distracted and flustered the whole time. 

On Saturday morning she goes for a jog on the beach with Allie. As they jog past the familiar expanse of windows that offer glimpses of bamboo floors and yoga mats, Tobin cranes her neck to get a good look. Allie bumps Tobin with her shoulder as they continue to jog, asking, “Whatcha looking at, Tobs?”

Tobin shakes her head as she answers, “Nothing, that’s just the yoga studio Alex and I have started going to. I actually really like taking classes.” 

Allie snorts in response. “You - liking something so slow and focused? You can’t sit in one place to play video games, Tobs! How do you manage yoga?” 

“I dunno, I guess it chills me out. I’m just glad to have something besides shopping to do with Alex. It doesn’t hurt that the studio is beautiful, either.” 

Allie seems satisfied and is quiet as they continue their jog. As the mention of the beauty of the studio lingers in her mind, Tobin’s thoughts wander to the rest of the beauty she experienced at last week’s class. She hates to admit it to herself, and would never admit it to her friends, but she can’t stop thinking about Christen. She feels a flush crawling up her neck and face, and if Allie were to notice, Tobin hopes that she can blame it on the temperature outside during their jog.

Back at home after her run with Allie, Tobin is relieved to see a text from Alex appear, confirming that they’ll be trying out a different class with one of the other instructors the next day. She knows that she is not ready to face Christen again, nor is she really ready to feel any of the things that Christen sets off in Tobin with just a smile. Not yet. 

**. . .**

On Sunday morning, Tobin wakes up with the sun, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she squints at her phone. “Why am I awake?” she grumbles to herself as she pulls her pillow over her face. Tobin lies like that for several minutes before facing the fact that she can’t go back to sleep. She drags herself out of bed, throws on a hoodie, and wanders downstairs, phone in hand.

As grumpy as she is that she’s awake before 7 o’clock on her sleep-in day, Tobin can’t help but appreciate the quiet calm that washes over the house this early. Kelley must be in bed still, and Allie is probably out on a morning run, Tobin thinks as she notices a pair of running shoes missing from their usual space by the door. Tobin shuffles into the kitchen, reaches for a bowl and box of cereal from the cabinets, and proceeds to head outside once her breakfast is made. She plops backwards into the hammock she keeps strung across the house’s back porch, letting her legs dangle over the edge as she eats her cereal. 

Once her bowl is empty, Tobin sets it on the ground before swinging her legs into the hammock so she’s lying back. She crosses her arms behind her head and hums quietly to herself, still wondering why she is awake so early. She doesn’t remember having had any dreams that could have woken her up, and the house has been so quiet that she can’t imagine having been awoken by any sort of noise. As she ponders, Tobin realizes that she hadn’t considered the possibility of seeing Christen today, even though she won’t be their instructor. She sighs, frustrated with herself for thinking about Christen so frequently this week. She really doesn’t want to give up her bonding time with Alex because of this, but if she can’t set her mind straight… 

Tobin’s thoughts are interrupted by a quick buzz of her phone. She lifts it over her face and swipes across the screen to open a message from Alex. It’s already a few minutes after 8 o’clock and Tobin is surprised at how quickly the time passed while she daydreamed. 

Alex: _Good morning sunshine! Hope you’re awake and almost ready to go. I’ll be over soon to pick you up, ok?_

Tobin responds with a thumbs up before swinging her legs out of the hammock and carrying her cereal bowl back into the kitchen. She takes the stairs two at a time back to her bedroom, where she brushes her teeth and throws her hair into a half bun, leaving some down over her shoulders. She considers swiping some mascara across her lashes before shaking her head to herself, reminding herself that she has no one to impress. _It’s just yoga, Tobin_ , she recites in her mind. _Yoga with a new instructor._

By the time Tobin is dressed, Alex has parked in her driveway and let herself into the house. She appears in the doorway to Tobin’s room, having climbed the stairs almost silently to avoid waking Kelley. Tobin is startled when Alex speaks.

“You wore that last week,” Alex states, her tone flat. 

“Well I wouldn’t know because I didn’t get to dress myself last week, mom,” Tobin retorts. 

Alex enters her room then and begins pulling out dresser drawers to find Tobin a different outfit. 

“I don’t see why it matters what I wore last week. We’re going to be in a different class, and who cares if someone remembers that I wore this very generic black-and-grey combo?” Tobin argues as she flops onto her bed, watching Alex pace through the room. 

“I care,” Alex says, tossing an old powder blue UNC tank and a pair of grey leggings at Tobin. “Put that on instead.” 

Tobin obliges, changing clothes without getting off her bed until she stands to pull the leggings on completely. “Happy now?” 

Alex nods with an ironic grin. “Yes, thank you. You are now presentable.” 

Tobin snorts as she follows Alex out of her bedroom and down the stairs. Alex grabs the full water bottle Tobin left for herself on the kitchen counter, trying once again to get her best friend out of the house in a more efficient manner. The two are about to step out the door and onto the driveway, Tobin following behind Alex like a shadow, when Alex pauses and abruptly turns to face Tobin. 

“Shoes, Tobs. You need those,” she says, pointing at Tobin’s tan bare feet. 

Tobin mumbles something about hating shoes as she turns on her heel, retreating back into the house to locate her flip flops. She jogs back to the car and slips into the passenger seat just as Alex begins reversing down the driveway. 

“I can’t take you anywhere,” Alex muses, shaking her head and chuckling as Tobin catches her breath. “Next week I’m coming over earlier and bringing coffee to get you going.” 

“I’ll have you know that I woke up _early_ this morning. I was ready to be on time to this,” Tobin says, poking Alex’s right bicep to make her point. 

Alex raises both eyebrows, surprised to hear that Tobin gave up her sleep-in day. “Well you’re still too slow, Tobin ‘I was on time for this’ Heath.” 

Tobin narrows her eyes at Alex before changing the subject. “So which class did you pick for us?” she asks as Alex brakes at a red light. 

“Oh, right! It’s supposed to be a lot more fast-paced and active, and less meditative or relaxing. I thought you’d like that!” Alex grins expectantly at Tobin before pressing the gas pedal and continuing down the road. 

“Yeah, sounds cool,” Tobin says, looking out the window at the blurry beach passing by. “Thanks for switching it up, Al,” she says, glancing back to the driver’s seat, hoping Alex doesn’t catch on to _why_ Tobin wanted to switch it up this week. 

**. . .**

As they wait for the class to begin, Alex is seated on her mat by the window, legs outstretched and arms raised above her head in a stretch. Tobin, meanwhile, is lying flat on her back next to Alex, staring at the ceiling, when she hears a familiar voice enter the room. 

“Hi, everyone!” the voice calls into the room. Tobin doesn’t sit up, but squeezes her eyes shut instead as she hears the voice approach the front of the room. _Oh no _, Tobin thinks to herself.__

__“I’m Christen, and I’ll be filling in for Erin today, if that’s okay! She’s not feeling well today. I promise to deliver the same active class you’re all expecting, though!”_ _

__Tobin’s stomach fills with butterflies and her heart rate picks up. She hasn’t even seen Christen yet and already can’t keep calm.  
“Let’s start by standing at the front of our mats...” Christen instructs, modelling the first position for the class by placing her feet at the front of her pale green mat, arms relaxed at her sides. _ _

__Tobin feels Alex tap her on the shoulder. “Wake up and keep up, Tobs!” Alex whispers loudly at her as she stands up on her purple mat._ _

__Tobin reluctantly pulls herself to her feet, not opening her eyes until she’s standing. When she does finally open her eyes, she’s wary to look toward the front of the room. Instead, she lets her eyes wander around the studio and toward the windows, following Christen’s instructions as well as she can without looking at Christen’s model movements._ _

__The positions flow quickly, and Christen’s voice is more peppy and enthusiastic this time, Tobin notices. The instructor begins floating around the studio, pausing to offer tips and motivation to the others in the class as they begin practicing inversions of their own choosing. Tobin is spotting Alex in her headstand when Christen approaches them._ _

__“Okay, catch my legs please!” Alex commands, voice strained as she works to keep her balance._ _

__“Very good, Alex! Have you done this before?” Christen gushes as she pauses right next to Tobin._ _

__Tobin panics as Alex’s legs approach her arms, grabbing frantically to catch her friend while she tries to keep her cool with Christen’s proximity to her._ _

__“Tobin! You were supposed to be spotting me!” Alex scolds as she crashes to her mat, hair falling around her face._ _

__“Oops?” Tobin offers with a shrug. She rubs her hands over her neck, trying to prevent the blush she feels rising toward her cheeks._ _

__“That’s okay, guys! It happens to the best of us. Tobin, why don’t you try now?” Christen says, trying to recover the situation._ _

__“Uh, yeah, okay I guess I can try now,” Tobin mumbles, kneeling on her mat._ _

__Alex stands and begins to move behind Tobin, ready to spot her as Tobin begins to slowly lift her legs over her head, which now rests on the mat._ _

__“Oh, Alex, you probably need a break! I’ve got her, no worries,” Christen says, motioning Alex aside as she reaches her arms out to either side of Tobin’s legs. “Awesome, Tobin, now just straighten your legs and keep your abs engaged. You’ve got it!”_ _

__Tobin tries to focus, but she falters when she glances up toward where Christen stands. She gets a glimpse of Christen’s bright smile and notices a sliver of exposed perfectly tan skin around the waistband of her leggings. Tobin’s legs crash into Christen’s arms, which automatically wrap tightly around both of Tobin’s calves, holding them together as Christen lowers her to the ground._ _

__Christen praises Tobin, who glances shyly at her after she regains her standing posture. “That was perfect! Was that your first headstand?!”_ _

__Tobin shrugs as she answers, “Uh, not really. I play around with things like that sometimes, just for fun.”_ _

__“Well, call me impressed,” Christen says, smiling as she places a hand on Tobin’s shoulder. “You didn’t need me there at all!”_ _

__“Yeah, well -” Tobin starts, cut off by Alex, who has been standing to the side with her arms crossed._ _

__“Christen, I’d like to try again! Got any tips?” Alex interrupts, calling Christen over toward her. Alex glances at Tobin, one eyebrow raised._ _

Tobin looks down at her mat, running her fingers through her hair to re-do her half-bun. The blush she’d been trying to suppress finally tints her cheeks and she reaches for her water bottle. _Stay cool, Tobin_ , she urges herself in her mind. _Christen’s just doing her job. It’s nothing._

____

**. . .**


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another! Don't get too comfy with these frequent updates - I just had this one typed up already and thought I'd give it to you. Enjoy!

After their second yoga session, Tobin walks along with Alex to their new favorite brunch spot down the street.

“You’re cool with joining Ashlyn and Ali, right? It’s just that I haven’t seen Ash in forever and I thought this would be fun,” Alex explains. 

“Yeah, no big deal, Al. It’ll be cool to see them,” Tobin reassures her, draping one of her lanky arms across Alex’s shoulders and matching her strides. They walk together in content silence until they reach the restaurant. Ali spots the two from their outdoor table in the fenced area to the right of the door, waving when she meets their gazes. Tobin drops her arm from Alex’s shoulders and returns Ali’s wave. The hostess leads Alex and Tobin to their friends, where the four exchange hugs before taking their seats, Tobin next to Ali with Alex across from her, next to Ashlyn. 

Tobin settles in with the menu in front of her face as Ashlyn and Alex pick up an animated conversation. Ali leans toward Tobin, close enough to hide behind her menu with her. “Get a mimosa,” Ali recommends. “That’s the only way we’ll get through this reunion.” 

Tobin chuckles, though she knows Ali is probably right. Ash and Alex are thick as thieves and Tobin usually struggles to keep up with them when they’re together. Tobin decides on an omelette and a mimosa, but keeps her menu propped up in front of her face, pretending to be indecisive as she relishes in the moment of false seclusion provided by her makeshift barrier. She still hasn’t quite cooled down, mentally or physically, from her encounters with Christen during yoga. Alex had caught her staring too many times to count, and Tobin knows the harassment is coming. Even now, almost an hour later, Tobin can still feel Christen’s gentle, supportive hand on her shoulder. 

Alex’s voice pulls Tobin from her daydream. “Earth to Tobin Heath. Come in Tobin Heath. Helloooo, what are you gonna order?” Alex slaps the menu down onto the table, revealing a startled Tobin. 

“Oh! Uh, sorry. Yeah, I’ll have a mimosa and the omelette. Thanks,” Tobin says to the waiter, whom she doesn’t recall appearing beside their table. She tugs the hair tie out of her half-bun and runs her hands through her tangled, slightly-sweaty hair, leaving it to fall in loose waves around her shoulders. 

“Tobin, what’s your deal?” Alex asks with curiosity. “You’ve been extra spacey lately.” 

Ashlyn and Ali exchange a knowing look, Ashlyn’s eyebrows raised. “How’s that yoga class going, guys?” Ashlyn asks, guiding the conversation. 

“It’s actually pretty cool,” Tobin supplies before Alex can speak. “I like it more than I thought I would.” 

Alex lets out a snort before she can try to hold it back. Tobin shoots her a glance as Ali asks, “What’s the studio like? It’s new, right?” 

“Yeah, it’s new. But I think a couple of the instructors have been working at another studio across town before coming to this one,” Tobin explains calmly, still trying to keep Alex from speaking up. Ali just nods in response as she sips the mimosa that was recently placed in front of her. 

Tobin picks up her own drink and takes a sip, raising an eyebrow when she notices Ashlyn gently elbow Alex. Tobin remains quiet but grows suspicious as Alex widens her eyes at Ashlyn. 

“What’s going on?” Tobin asks slowly, letting her suspicion be heard. 

“Uh… Well, Alex, she - uh…” Ashlyn begins, but her thoughts trail off as she glances at Alex, whose pursed lips and narrowed eyes silently tell Ashlyn to stop talking. 

“Alex, come on, what’s the deal?” Tobin asks, setting down her mimosa. 

“Yeah, you two, what’s the deal?” Ali asks, echoing Tobin’s confusion. 

Alex sighs and places her palms flat on the table in front of her. “Okay, okay. Tobs, all I did was mention to Ash that I noticed you might be crushing on our yoga instructor. That’s it.” 

Ashlyn clears her throat in Alex’s direction, widening her eyes as if to encourage Alex to continue talking. 

“Ugh, okay. I may have mentioned it to Christen, too, while you were in the bathroom changing for brunch!” Alex explains. The words fall from her lips rapidly, and she claps a hand over her mouth once she’s finished talking. 

“Oh, boy…” Ali muses, sitting back in her chair and sipping her mimosa. 

“Alex, what?! Why would you do that?” Tobin nearly squeaks, tossing her hands up in the air. 

“Listen, I know how you are, and I just thought I was being helpful, and -” Alex starts to explain, but Tobin cuts her off with a frustrated groan. 

“You thought you were being helpful, right. Alex, I don’t need your help. And it’s not a crush!” Tobin exclaims, defensively. 

“Alright, you two, can we just enjoy brunch?” Ali supplies as their food is placed in front of each of them. 

“Tobs, if it helps, the only reason Ali and I are together is because someone finally tipped me off that she was into me,” Ashlyn says with a smirk, gaining an eye roll from her girlfriend. 

Tobin groans again, frustrated with Alex and horrified by the thought of Christen hearing from Alex that Tobin is “crushing on her,” of all things, as if they’re all in sixth grade again. She hides her face in her hands as Alex reaches across the table to graze Tobin’s forearm with her fingertips. “We can’t go back to the studio anymore, Al,” Tobin whines through her fingers, voice muffled. 

“Look, I’m sorry, Tobs. I just…” Alex begins, unsure of what to say. She drops her hand back to her side of the table. She looks to Ashlyn and Ali for help, but both shrug at her in response, mouths full of food. Alex didn’t expect this reaction from her best friend at all. She knows what Tobin has been through lately, and she thought that breaking the ice for Tobin might be good for her. 

Tobin finally drops her hands and lifts her fork, cutting into the end of her nearly-cold omelette. “It’s whatever. Let’s just eat and talk about this later, okay?” Tobin says coldly, not making eye contact with Alex as she lifts a bite of food to her mouth. 

Alex winces at Tobin’s tone, and Tobin tunes out for most of the remainder of the meal as Ashlyn and Ali try to recover the conversation with Alex. Tobin tries to calm herself while the others talk, eating silently and taking deep breaths in between bites. She doesn’t want to be mad at Alex. She knows that her best friend was just doing what she thought was right, but Tobin is so deeply embarrassed for herself. To make matters worse, she’s a little saddened by the thought of never seeing Christen again, which is what has to happen now that Alex has embarrassed her like this. 

Brunch finally ends, and Ali and Ash stand to leave, saying goodbye to Alex and Tobin. Tobin mumbles a goodbye to them both as she downs the last sip of her warm mimosa. 

“Ready to go home?” Alex asks quietly, fidgeting with her car keys. 

Tobin simply nods, standing up and pushing her chair under the table. She leads the two of them back toward the sidewalk, thanking the hostess as they pass through the small gate of the fenced outdoor dining area. 

Alex takes a few quick steps to catch up with Tobin, laying a hand gently on her shoulder as she speaks. “Hey, I’m really sorry, you know? I really am. I didn’t think you’d be upset.” 

Tobin keeps her gaze forward as they continue to walk, noticing that Alex’s hand is placed exactly where Christen’s was hours before. “I just wished we could have talked about it first, Al. It’s not a big deal, I guess. My, uh, feelings, I mean. But if you noticed, you should have talked to me first,” she explains. 

“I wasn’t sure if you were ready to talk about it. You know, after all the…” Alex trails off, trying not to upset her best friend further. 

“Yeah, well, I was ready. But even if I wasn’t, why would that lead you to think of telling Christen something you hadn’t confirmed?” Tobin asks, pausing and turning toward Alex. “Why would you do that? Now I don’t want to go back and that sucks because I really liked doing that with you,” Tobin admits, looking down at her worn flip flops. 

“Tobs,” Alex begins, reaching to tilt Tobin’s chin up so their eyes meet. “I said I’m sorry. I did something wrong, and I’m sorry about it. Please forgive me, and please go back next week with me? I’ll make it better, I promise,” Alex offers with a small smile.

Tobin stares off behind Alex for a moment before speaking again. “Okay, Al. I guess I forgive you, and I’ll go back with you, on one condition...” Tobin says, looking back to Alex with a glint in her eye. 

“No, no, no, I know what you’re thinking, Tobin Heath, and the answer is no!” Alex says, giggling at the thought. 

“Oh come on, Alex!” Tobin pleads, looping an arm through Alex’s elbow as they begin walking again. “I really need it!” she exclaims, pointing at her tanned feet as they walk. 

“Tobin, I love you and all, but you know I hate feet. I will not make this up to you by giving you a foot massage. Think of something else or nothing at all!” Alex says adamantly, shaking her head. 

Tobin lets out a small whine before laughing along with Alex as they approach Alex’s car. She’s glad they’ve recovered, but she knows the embarrassment will come flooding back to her mind any minute now.

**. . .**

That night, Tobin sits with Kelley on the couch in their living room, eating cookie dough from the tub and half-watching the recorded women’s soccer games they’ve both seen a hundred times. A text from Alex lights up the screen on Tobin’s phone, and Kelley glances down at the bright light between her hip and Tobin’s, noticing that Tobin doesn’t even look at her phone before reaching down to lock the screen. Kelley raises an eyebrow at Tobin.

“Everything okay, dude?” Kelley asks casually before popping a hunk of cookie dough into her mouth. 

“What?” Tobin asks, caught off-guard. “Oh, everything’s fine,” she reassures Kelley.

“Liar. You never ignore Alex,” Kelley accuses, eyes narrowed. “Ooh, are you guys fighting? Spill!” Kelley says with a dramatic gasp as she practically bounces in her seat. 

“Chill out, Kel. We aren’t fighting. We just… I mean, well, Alex just did something shitty today, that’s all.” 

Kelley stills as Tobin speaks, realizing that her roommate is actually a little upset. “Wanna talk about it, or nah?”

Tobin shrugs as she chews a bite of cookie dough. She passes the tub back to Kelley before speaking. “I dunno, it’s not a big deal I guess. She just… She told our yoga instructor that I like her, that’s all,” Tobin explains, not looking at Kelley. 

Kelley suppresses a chuckle. “That’s it? Oh, Tobs, you overreacted!” 

“Hey, I was embarrassed! We’ve only been to two of this girls’ classes! Alex and I haven’t even talked about it yet, you know?” Tobin says defensively. 

Kelley slides over to her roommate on the couch, draping an arm across her shoulders. She gives Tobin an earnest look, and Tobin thinks Kelley might actually say something helpful. Instead, Kelley begins singing, “Tobin has a cruuushh! Tobin has a cruuushh!” 

“Ugh, Kel, quit that!” Tobin says, swatting her away. “So what if I do?!”

“Oh, so you admit that you have a cruuushh!?” Kelley challenges, her voice still sing-songy. 

Tobin blushes then, pulling her hair down over her face. Kelley watches her and laughs out loud. “I’ll take that as a yes!” Kelley says, punching Tobin’s bicep lightly. 

Tobin sighs with slight frustration at Kelley, her hair blowing up in front of her face as she lets out her breath. “Fine, you’re right. You’re right. Now give me the cookie dough!” Tobin demands, shoving her hair out of her face with one hand as she reaches toward Kelley with the other. 

“Nope, not until you dish about this hot yoga instructor!” Kelley says, holding the tub out of Tobin’s reach. 

Tobin flops back onto the pillows behind her with another sigh. She pulls a smaller pillow from behind her back and flattens her face into it, trying to hide from Kelley’s questions.

“What’s her name? Tell me what she looks like. Probably really fit, if she just does yoga for a living. Oh, I bet you guys would make a cute couple…” Kelley rambles through a mouthful of cookie dough without giving Tobin a chance to answer. 

“Her name’s Christen,” Tobin mumbles into the pillow. 

“I’m sorry, did you say something?” Kelley teases as she tries to pry the pillow away from Tobin’s face. 

“Christen,” Tobin repeats, lifting her head and stealing Kelley’s spoonful of cookie dough from her hand. She pops the spoon into her mouth before Kelley can react, grinning as she passes the empty spoon back to her roommate. “Her name is Christen.” 

“That’s cute, I guess,” Kelley muses as she closes the lid on the tub, setting it aside with her spoon. “She must be pretty cute, too, if she’s got you acting so weird.” 

“She’s perfect,” Tobin replies automatically, eyes widening at her own response. 

Kelley just laughs at her, smacking Tobin’s knee. “You’re so into her already! You’re hopeless, Tobs!” 

Tobin musters up a laugh to go with Kelley’s, but when Kelley jumps up and heads to the kitchen, still chuckling, Tobin pauses, chewing her lower lip. _You really are hopeless, Heath_ , she thinks to herself, nervously rubbing the back of her neck. _What are you gonna do now?_

**. . .**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, share your thoughts with me! I love reading them. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's gonna be another two-chapter day, just for you! I'll have to take a break soon, so I'm trying to give you as much as possible now. You're welcome. ;)

It’s Wednesday afternoon and Tobin is sitting on the bench in front of her locker, removing her boots and socks after practice when she hears her phone buzz once behind her. She reaches for it without turning around, nearly dropping it onto the tile floor as her hand fumbles inside her open locker. 

“Smooth move, Heath,” Allie remarks with a smirk, taking her seat next to Tobin, in front of her own locker. “Good thing you’re better with your feet,” she jabs as she begins removing her own gear. 

Tobin rolls her eyes and pushes the stray hairs off of her face as she unlocks her phone. The message that buzzed in a moment ago is from an unsaved number, she notices. She opens it, trying to keep a straight face as she begins reading. 

_Hi Tobin, it’s Christen. Alex gave me your number after our last session. She said you might be into getting coffee or meeting up for a jog… Is that true? :) Let me know!_

Tobin immediately locks her screen, trying not to let the mix of panic and excitement show on her face. She drops her phone back into her locker, where it lands loudly. Allie shoots Tobin a look. 

“You good, Tobs?” Allie asks with suspicion as she stashes her gear in her locker. 

“Yep! Just fine,” Tobin says as calmly as she can manage. She quickly finishes changing, pockets her phone, shuts her locker, and heads for the door without another word. 

“Bye to you, too!” Allie calls out behind her. 

“See ya later, alligator!” Tobin responds over her shoulder as she grabs her longboard from its spot by the door. 

As she drops her board gently onto the concrete outside the athletic complex, Tobin slides her sunglasses down over her eyes from their perch on the top of her head. She steps onto the board and hovers for a moment, slipping her phone out of her pocket to type a text message. 

Tobin: _You gave Christen my phone number too?! Unbelievable_

Tobin circles the parking lot on her board, phone in hand as she awaits a response. Her phone buzzes as she begins her second lap around the lot. 

Alex: _You're welcome babe ;)_

Tobin: _She wants to hang out - help me_

Alex: _Go for a jog then get coffee like I said. I know best. And you'll both like that. It'll be casual_

Tobin pauses on her longboard, tapping her phone against her chin while she thinks. Before she can respond, Alex sends another message. 

Alex: _When's the date? I need to choose your outfit_

Tobin laughs to herself and replies to Alex, explaining that there is no date. 

Alex: _No date YET you mean??_

Tobin: _...You might be right_

Tobin reaches into the backpack that dangles off of her left shoulder, retrieves her headphones, and plugs them into her phone before pressing play on its screen and pocketing the device. She slides the headphones over her ears and kicks off of the sidewalk on her board. She spends the ride home planning her response to Christen. 

Half an hour later, Tobin glides into her driveway, noting that both Kelley and Allie are already home from practice. Tobin picks up her board and walks the last few steps toward the front door. She turns the knob and steps inside, turning to her right to stash her board behind the door. When she turns back around, Tobin yelps and drops her backpack as Kelley surprises her from around the corner. 

“KELLEY OH MY GOD,” Tobin shouts as she slides down the wall to the ground, heart racing. “Why do you always do that?!” 

Kelley is giggling uncontrollably, clearly proud of herself for scaring her roommate once again. “It never gets old!” she exclaims. 

Kelley approaches Tobin once her laughter stops, extending a hand down to her roommate. Tobin slaps her wrist, waving her off as she reaches into her pocket for her phone. She types a message from her seat on the floor as Kelley hovers. 

Tobin: _Let's do both - jog then coffee. Just say when_

She sends the text without giving herself time to second-guess it. She chews her bottom lip as a small smile creeps across her face. Kelley nudges Tobin’s knee with her socked foot. 

“You gonna sit there all night or what?” Kelley prods. “Alex could wait til you're more comfy,” Kelley says, nodding at Tobin's phone in her hand. 

“It's not Alex,” Tobin says quietly as she pushes herself off the floor until she's standing. She grabs her backpack by the top handle and heads toward the stairs. “I'm going to shower,” she tells Kelley. 

Kelley scrambles across the floor to cut Tobin off at the bottom of the staircase. “Wait just one minute, Tobin Heath! Who was that message really from?!” 

Tobin slips around Kelley to start up the stairs, avoiding her question. “Nobody…” she answers. 

“It was Christen, wasn't it?” Kelley calls after her up the stairs. 

“That's for me to know and for you to be dying to find out, Kels,” Tobin calls out in response. 

Tobin hears Kelley giggle like an excited child, rapidly clapping her hands together. Tobin shakes her head at her roommate’s antics as she grabs the towel hanging off the chair in her room and heads to the shower. 

Her thoughts get the best of her in the shower, and she starts worrying that maybe she should have sounded more excited, less chill, in her response to Christen. She didn’t even send an emoji, for Christ’s sake. Tobin mentally kicks herself as she shuts off the water and pulls her towel down from where it is draped over the shower door. She quickly dries off, combs through her wet tangles with her fingers, and slips into some sweats and a tank top before falling onto her bed. Tobin slides her phone toward herself from where she dropped it at the corner of the bed, unlocking the screen once the device is in her palm. She clicks the messages icon with her eyes squeezed half shut, scared to see what might be there. There is a message from Alex and one from Christen. She chooses Alex’s first. 

Alex: _Christen’s looking forward to your date, she says ;) She even thanked me. Wish someone else could be that grateful. See you Friday morning for wardrobe selection!_

Tobin grumbles to herself over Alex’s matchmaker ways. She doesn’t bother responding to Alex. Instead, she forces herself to open Christen’s text. 

Christen: _I’m off on Friday, does that work for you? If so, let’s meet at the studio and go from there :)_

Tobin’s fingers shake slightly as she taps out a reply to Christen. _See you then!_ is all she can manage to type, pressing send with her eyes closed. Tobin tosses her phone onto her pillows and rolls onto her back, staring at the ceiling as her thoughts race. It’s been so long since she’s done this, this dating thing, and it didn’t go very well the last time. She tries to give herself a pep talk, reminding herself that this is good for her. She likes Christen. “This is good,” Tobin recites aloud to herself as Kelley appears in her doorway. 

“Talking to yourself again, Tobs?” Kelley asks with a smirk, leaning against Tobin’s door frame. 

Tobin just responds by blowing out a deep breath, not moving from her reclined position. She rubs her hands over her face as she says, “I don’t know what I’m doing, Kel.” 

“Oh, honey,” Kelley starts, taking a seat next to Tobin’s head on the bed. “You’re gonna be fine. She clearly likes you, or she wouldn’t have asked to see you.”

“But what if… What if this becomes a real thing? Not just one date, you know? What if we end up in a relationship? I’m not ready to do that again, Kel. Last time was just… It was too much.” 

Kelley pats Tobin’s hair, humming in response as Tobin wonders aloud. “Look, don’t worry so much. Just go hang out with Christen, let it make you happy, and worry later. Actually don’t worry at all. It’s bad for your complexion,” Kelley jokes, pinching Tobin’s cheek. 

Tobin lets out a small laugh as she props herself up on her elbows to look at Kelley for the first time since she sat down. “Thanks. You’re right. If it becomes something more, I’ll worry then.” 

“Good girl,” Kelley says with a grin, patting Tobin on her head once more before hopping off the bed. “Wanna order pizza? I’m starved!” 

“Sure thing, Kels. You pick, I’ll eat anything,” Tobin replies, lying back down on the bed for another moment as Kelley leaves to grab her phone. Tobin picks up her own phone, unlocking it to stare at her conversation with Christen, if you could call it that. She considers sending another message, just to let Christen know that she is actually excited, but she stops herself. _Don’t get caught up too fast, Heath_ , Tobin scolds mentally. _You don’t want an instant replay of last time._

**. . .**

Later that evening, Tobin is cleaning up paper plates covered in napkins and pizza crusts as Kelley naps on the couch when her phone buzzes loudly on the table. She drops the plates into the trash can nearby before searching for her phone amid the pizza boxes and plastic cups on the table. She picks it up just as the screen goes dark, quickly turning it back on to see that Christen has texted her again. _Probably cancelling_ , Tobin thinks to herself as she slides a thumb across the screen to view the message.

Christen: _Hey, just thought I’d ask - is it cool if I bring a friend?_

Tobin’s heart sinks as she notices that Christen is still typing. Before she can worry too much, Christen sends a winking face and a dog emoji, followed quickly by a photo of a dog curled up on the couch next to Christen’s legs. _Meet Morena_ , the next message reads. 

Tobin smiles to herself as she types a response. _You had me worried for a sec_ , she admits in her first message, chewing the inside of her cheek as she types. _I’d love a canine third wheel!_ , Tobin taps out, still smiling. 

Allie passes through the living room then, snorting at a sleeping Kelley before poking Tobin’s ribs. “What’s got you so happy, dork?” she asks Tobin, plopping onto the couch and shuffling through the pizza boxes in search of a leftover slice. 

Kelley wakes up at the sound of Allie’s voice. “She’s got a hot date I bet,” Kelley mumbles, stretching her limbs over the edges of the couch. “Hey, toss me a piece, Allie.” 

Tobin takes her seat next to Allie, intercepting the slice she sent through the air toward Kelley. “Hey! That was mine!” Kelley whines, pushing out her lower lip in a pout. 

“There’s more, Kels, no worries. Good thing you ordered a pizza for each of us,” Allie says, rolling her eyes at Kelley’s impulse buy. She leans across Tobin’s legs to pass another slice directly into Kelley’s hands this time. 

“So, wait, Tobs. Do you really have a date?” Allie asks around a mouthful of pizza, eyebrows raised skeptically. 

“I mean, I guess you could call it that…” Tobin says, shrugging. 

“Oh, come on! You’re so into this girl. It’s totally a date!” Kelley says enthusiastically. 

“Wait, Kelley knew about this before me?!” Allie asks, faking hurt feelings. “Tobin Powell Heath, I have been your friend the longest! Why didn’t I know about this?!”

Tobin sighs, annoyed by both of her roommates' dramatics. “It’s not a big deal, guys. Allie,” she starts, turning to face the blonde. “I’m just meeting the yoga instructor Alex and I have been taking classes with for a jog on the beach and we might get coffee after. That’s all.” 

“Oh, no you don’t. That’s not all! Tell me details. Dish. Spill. Let’s go,” Allie insists, looking Tobin in the eye expectantly. An instant later, Allie’s phone rings. “Ugh, I have to take this. But you’re not off the hook, young lady!” she says, wagging her finger at Tobin as she walks out of the room to answer her phone. 

Tobin huffs out a deep breath again, and Kelley just laughs quietly to herself. “You’re in over your head, huh?” 

Tobin nods, still annoyed by her roommates, but as Kelley leaves the room, she allows a grin to return to her face. Maybe she is in over her head, but she can’t help being happy about it.

**. . .**


	5. Chapter 5

Tobin chooses to longboard to the yoga studio on Friday morning, knowing she can stash her board and her backpack at the studio while she and Christen are on the beach. The ride gives her a chance to get out her jitters, and to clear her mind after dealing with Alex’s antics that morning. She had whined at Alex earlier when she insisted on dressing Tobin in twill khaki joggers and a striped tank. “You have to wear nice clothes,” Alex had demanded. 

“Al, we’re supposed to be going for a jog, not a sail on a yacht,” Tobin remembers arguing. “Just let me wear Nike shorts, come on.” 

“These are _joggers_ , Tobin. You could run in them if you had to, but maybe you guys can just take a walk instead. Play with the dog, whatever. But no shorts. You look like you just rolled out of bed when you wear those shorts,” Alex responded as she forced a brush through Tobin’s hair.

“Right, long romantic walks on the beach. Not cliché at all, Lex,” Tobin had pointed out, her words choppy as Alex continued to tug on her hair. 

Still skating, Tobin laughs quietly to herself as she remembers Alex calling her a hoodrat. She pauses just down the sidewalk from the yoga studio to smooth out her hair and readjust the black snapback that Alex finally conceded to during their argument. “If you let me do your mascara, you can wear the snapback,” Alex had promised, mascara wand in her hand already poised in front of Tobin’s face. 

Kicking her board up to meet her hands, Tobin slips it under her arm and walks down the sidewalk to the studio, glancing at her watch to make sure she’s on time. They had agreed to meet at 11:30, and Tobin mentally pats herself on the back for arriving at 11:29. _See, Alex, I can be on time_ , she thinks to herself as she approaches the steps up to the studio’s porch. 

Christen stands up from the bench on the porch, Morena’s leash looped over her wrist. She waves as Tobin climbs the steps, her grin shining bright. Tobin can feel Christen’s warmth radiating as she approaches the girl, like Christen is the sun herself.  
“Hi!” Christen exclaims, pausing to allow Tobin to set down her longboard before giving her a quick hug. Tobin’s lanky arm gets tangled in Morena’s leash as the girls try to separate themselves, and Tobin laughs nervously. “It’s good to see you again,” Christen supplies with a big smile, her eyes sparkling. 

“It’s nice to see you, too,” Tobin manages to get out as Morena paws at her leg, awaiting a greeting of her own. Tobin reaches down to scratch behind the dog’s ear, and Morena wags her tail happily. 

“She likes you already,” Christen says, watching Tobin pet her furry best friend. “Impressive. She’s not always into people so immediately.” 

Tobin just looks back at Christen with a shy smile, slipping her backpack off her shoulders. “Mind if I toss this inside with my board?” 

“Sure, just set them behind the desk. They should be fine there,” Christen explains, motioning behind her toward the lobby of the studio. 

“Great, be right back,” Tobin says quickly, doing a little jog across the porch toward the glass doors before disappearing inside. She sets her things behind the desk as instructed and turns back toward the porch. She wipes her sweaty palms on the thighs of her pants and takes a deep breath before meeting Christen back outside. 

“I, uh, I’m sorry if I’m not quite dressed right for a jog,” Tobin offers, stuffing a hand into her pocket. “Normally I would be but Alex just -” 

“Hey, I think you look great,” Christen reassures her, taking a quick moment to look over Tobin, head to toe, meeting Tobin’s worried eyes with a smile afterward. “Don’t stress. I’m happy to walk anyway, especially with Morena.” 

“Okay, good. I’m ready when you are,” Tobin responds, motioning for Christen to lead the way. 

Realizing they won’t be running, Tobin slides her sneakers off before stepping onto the sand behind Christen, who has bent down to do the same. Tobin can’t help but notice how well-defined Christen’s lower body is in her cropped black leggings. She snaps out of her thoughts when she sees Christen losing her balance as she struggles to remove her second shoe while Morena tugs on her leash. 

“Need some help?” Tobin asks, approaching Christen. 

“Sure, could you just -” Christen doesn’t finish her request as she reaches a hand up to Tobin’s shoulder for balance. Christen finally slides her foot out of her shoe, removes her socks, and stuffs them into her sneakers, holding them in one hand with Morena’s leash in the other. “Thanks,” she says, beaming at Tobin. 

The two step onto the sand, Tobin following Christen’s lead to walk down the beach away from the yoga studio. Morena rushes out in front of the girls as they walk, running as far as her leash will allow before she pauses, tongue hanging out of her mouth, waiting for Tobin and Christen to catch up. 

“I try to bring her out here a few days a week,” Christen mentions, motioning toward the dog. “She has so much energy, I can’t stand letting her stay in the house. She drives me crazy!”

Tobin laughs softly in response as Christen jogs a few steps toward her dog, causing Morena to bounce up and down with excitement. The brown and white dog barks once, running from Christen until her leash stops her again. Christen turns back toward Tobin, who picks up her pace to catch up. 

“How long have you had her?” Tobin asks, grateful after all that Morena is third-wheeling. The dog makes a great ice breaker. 

“I adopted her last year,” Christen explains. “I had just moved here and was living alone. I couldn’t stand it, I really needed some company.” 

Tobin nods and adjusts her snapback again. “Do you still live alone? Well, alone with Morena, I guess…?” she asks, trying to keep the chat going. 

“Yeah, but I’ve gotten used to it,” Christen says, shrugging. “It’s actually kinda nice now. I spend my days away from the house, teaching classes and stuff, and it’s nice to come home to a quiet house and a happy dog,” she finishes, smiling again. Christen smiles more than anyone Tobin has ever met, but that’s not a bad thing. Her smile is beautiful and infectious. It puts Tobin at ease. 

“What about you? Where do you live?” Christen asks, tucking a lock of her long, dark hair behind her ear. 

“Oh, like a 10 minute drive away from the studio, straight that way,” Tobin says, pointing behind them with her thumb. “I live with two roommates who are also my teammates. I’ve known one of them since college and -” 

“Teammates?” Christen interrupts, a puzzled expression on her face. 

“Yeah, uh, I play soccer. Professionally. Sorry, I guess I could’ve mentioned that,” Tobin says, brushing her loose hair behind her shoulders. She glances nervously at Christen, not sure how Christen will react. Tobin sets her gaze on Morena instead. 

“That’s amazing! You play for the new women’s team here, then? So cool. Hey, maybe I should come to your next home game,” Christen offers, grinning yet again. 

Tobin’s stomach flutters as she pictures Christen’s gorgeous face smiling and cheering her on at one of their games. “Uh, yeah, if - if you wanted to. I mean, no hard feelings if football isn’t your thing,” Tobin manages to say, stuttering as her nerves get the best of her again. 

Christen giggles softly, bumping her shoulder into Tobin’s. Until now, Tobin hadn’t noticed that they’re practically the same height. No wonder it has been so easy to get lost in Christen’s green-grey eyes, she realizes. 

“I won’t come if it’ll stress you out. I know how weird that can be. I wouldn’t let my friends and family come to my classes when I first started working as an instructor,” Christen relates. “They made me so nervous, and I’d forget the whole flow I was supposed to be teaching.” Christen laughs at herself, shaking her head a little. As Christen’s hair is blown about by the breeze, Tobin catches the scent of Christen’s shampoo, mixed with the distinct smell of Coppertone sunscreen. She inhales deeply, the smallest of smiles appearing across her lips. 

“Well, you’re awesome at it now,” Tobin reassures her, allowing her smile to grow as she looks to her left at Christen. 

“Thank you,” Christen says quietly, appearing shy for the first time since Tobin has known her. 

“Wait, you said you just moved here last year? From where?” Tobin asks, peering at Christen’s face, which is now hidden by her hair. 

Christen pauses, tugging Morena to a stop. Tobin stops, too, patiently watching Christen, who reaches up and gathers her hair into a ponytail, securing it with a hair tie from her wrist before answering Tobin. “From California,” she says simply as she continues walking. 

“SoCal, to be exact. That’s where my family lives, and where I grew up,” Christen continues to explain. “I stayed close by - well in the state, anyway - all the way through college, then I just wanted to get away and make my own space, you know?” Christen looks over at Tobin, who has been listening intently and watching Morena crash through the small waves along the shoreline. 

“So you moved all the way out here, all by yourself?” Tobin asks, intrigued by Christen’s story. 

“Yep. I thought Florida would feel like home, kinda, and I knew of a few places where I could be trained as a yoga instructor, so I just went for it,” Christen explains with a shy grin. “Nothing like your story, I’m sure, Miss Pro Baller,” she teases, bumping Tobin’s shoulder again. 

“Ha, well, maybe not, but I’m still pretty impressed,” Tobin says, smiling and bumping Christen back. “Not many people would take such a big leap like you did.” 

Christen stops walking again once she approaches Morena, who has plopped down in the dry sand, exhausted from her romp through the waves. Christen takes a seat on the sand herself, stretching her toned legs out in front of her and dropping her sneakers next to her, keeping Morena’s leash looped over her left wrist. Her hair blows around her face with the breeze, and Tobin admires Christen’s effortless appeal as she sits down to the girl’s right, pulling her knees up to her chest. Christen reaches over to Morena with her left hand to rub the dog’s belly. 

“I still miss them sometimes,” Christen admits quietly. Tobin assumes she’s referring to her family, and she nods knowingly, still hugging her knees to her chest. Christen leans back onto her hands, legs still outstretched. 

“What about your family?” Christen asks, now slightly behind Tobin. She watches Tobin’s hair blow about behind her back, mostly contained by her backwards snapback. Christen catches herself staring at Tobin’s perfectly toned biceps when Tobin slowly speaks up, answering her question. 

“Yeah, I miss mine, too. We’ve always been pretty close, my siblings and I. My parents, too. They live in New Jersey. I haven’t seen them in… I guess it’s been almost a year,” Tobin says, not realizing it had been so long. 

“Why?” Christen asks automatically, keeping the conversation going. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to,” she corrects herself. She’s intrigued by Tobin and wants to know all about her. She has since she first spotted Tobin in her yoga class. 

“Asking the big questions on the first date, huh?” Tobin teases, her face growing warm from the inside at the reminder that this is a date. She glances at her watch to see how long they walked, hoping Christen doesn’t take offense to it. It’s nearly 1 o’clock, by Tobin’s watch, and she leans back contentedly onto her hands, keeping her knees up and feet flat on the sand. _Time flies when you’re having fun_ , Tobin thinks to herself as her hand grazes Christen’s on the sand. Tobin jumps at the contact, deliberately placing her hand several inches away, and Christen giggles. 

“Trying out your smooth moves on the first date, huh?” Christen pokes at Tobin. She smiles warmly at Tobin and continues stroking Morena’s short fur. 

“Tell you what,” Tobin says, recovering from a blush. “I’ll answer your question on one condition.” 

“Alright…” Christen answers, waiting suspiciously for Tobin’s request. 

“You let me try out my ‘smooth moves’ on a second date,” Tobin says, her fingers making air quotes. She grins and looks at Christen with expectation in her eyes. “What do you say?”

Christen twirls a lock of hair that has fallen out of her ponytail, pretending to think about her answer. She’d already said yes mentally before Tobin finished talking, but Tobin has such an adorable look on her face that she doesn’t want the suspense to end. Finally, just as Tobin’s grin begins to fade and her face falls a bit, Christen laughs softly and responds. “Yes, of course.” 

Tobin swipes a sandy hand across her own forehead, causing bits of sand to fall all over her front. “What a relief,” she says dramatically, ending with a wink, which turns into both eyes squeezed shut as sand falls into her eyes. “Ow!” Tobin squeaks out, blinking rapidly. 

“Here, let me help,” Christen offers. Suddenly her face is right in front of Tobin’s and Tobin is frozen in place, still struggling to open her eyes. “Hold this eye open,” Christen instructs, tapping Tobin’s left cheekbone with one finger. Christen gently blows into Tobin’s eye before leaning across her and repeating the gesture on the other side. Tobin feels as if she might collapse onto the sand by the time Christen moves back to her seat, patting Morena to calm her after the dog jumped to her feet with Tobin’s exclamation. 

“Better?” Christen asks, looking at Tobin with slight concern. 

“Much. Thanks,” Tobin says with a nod, turning her snapback around so the bill faces forward. Her hair blows around her face in the process, and Tobin is glad for the chance to hide her face as she chews her bottom lip. She can still smell Christen’s floral-sunscreen scent hovering in the air around her, and she looks out at the waves, suddenly too bashful to look at Christen. Tobin feels Christen smile next to her, as sunny as always. 

Christen interrupts Tobin’s thoughts. “Ready for coffee?” she asks, picking up her shoes from the sand next to her. Morena hops to her feet again as Christen readies herself to stand. 

“Yep!” Tobin replies, snapping out of her daydream. She quickly stands up, brushing the sand off of herself before offering a hand to Christen, who takes it with a smile. Tobin pulls Christen to her feet with a little too much force, causing Christen to fall into her front a little. 

“Sorry!” Christen mumbles as she takes a step backwards, dusting sand off herself. 

“No, it was my bad, no worries,” Tobin reassures her, nervously rubbing her right hand along her left forearm. Tobin reaches down and picks up her shoes and Christen’s, which Christen dropped as Tobin pulled her up. “I’ve got these.” 

“Oh, thanks!” Christen says, smiling as they begin their walk back toward the yoga studio. She bumps Tobin’s shoulder once more as she says, “Hey, you’re not off the hook with the question, you know.” She gives Tobin a sly look. “You’ve got until we get back to the studio!” Christen exclaims before taking off, jogging away from Tobin, giggling as Morena runs alongside her. 

Tobin laughs, unusually comfortable with the pressure. She doesn’t feel stressed by sharing personal stuff with Christen at all. 

“Yeah, yeah, and you’re not off the hook with that second date either!” she calls out to Christen’s back, laughing and picking up a jog herself to catch up. 

The two slow back to a walk once Tobin has caught up, and they walk in happy silence, Christen stealing glances at Tobin every few steps. Tobin catches her looking after a few times, making a silly face at Christen, who blushes and giggles as she looks away. _I could get used to this_ , Tobin thinks to herself. 

Once they make it back to the studio, Christen grabs a metal bowl from behind the front desk and fills it with water before setting it down on the floor of the lobby for Morena. Tobin reappears in the lobby from the bathroom down the hall, drying her hands on the front of her pants. She laughs when she hears a groan from Christen in response to Morena spilling half of the water as she bumps into the bowl with excitement. Tobin turns on her heels and heads back to the bathroom, reappearing a second time with a handful of paper towels. She offers them to Christen with a smirk. 

Once the floor is dry and Morena’s thirst is quenched, Tobin grabs her backpack and longboard from behind the desk. She pulls out her phone and checks it quickly as Christen puts away Morena’s bowl. Tobin had left her phone in her bag on purpose, knowing Alex and her roommates would try to distract her with silly messages. She’s not surprised, then, to see three texts from Alex and twice as many from Kelley, but she doesn’t bother opening any of them. “You guys,” Tobin mutters to herself with an eyeroll. 

“What was that?” Christen asks innocently. 

“Oh, nothing. Sorry. Ready to go?” Tobin responds, slipping her arms through the straps of her backpack. 

“Yep! I thought we’d go to the café down the street. I go there all the time when I’m at the studio, and they have food, too, in case you’re hungry,” Christen explains with a smile. 

Tobin’s stomach growls as if commanded to do so. “Yeah, that sounds great,” she replies, returning Christen’s smile. “Lead the way!” 

Three blocks away, Tobin orders for both of them at the counter inside while Christen finds them a seat outside, looping Morena’s leash over the arm of her chair and telling the dog to lie down next to her. 

Tobin brings their drinks and sandwiches out a few minutes later, placing them on the table with a dramatic flourish, gaining an adorable laugh from Christen. She takes her seat across the table, thinking to herself that she already can’t wait for their second date. 

“So,” Christen begins, leaning her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her palms. “Got an answer for me yet?” she asks with curiosity. 

Tobin takes a deep breath, then takes a long sip of her iced coffee, stalling. She hasn’t talked to anyone but Alex, Kelley, and Allie about the reason she hasn’t seen her family in so long, but if she were going to explain it to anyone else, why not Christen? Tobin has been amazed all day at how easy-going she feels around Christen. She can be herself, right? She takes one last deep breath before she starts talking. “Well, the last time I was at home…”

**. . .**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry (not sorry) for the cliff-hanger! I have to keep you coming back somehow... :) Let me know what you think! The next chapter(s) won't be posted for a couple of days, so hang tight.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting this one to you a little sooner than I expected! Hopefully this will resolve some of the suspense for you...

“So, how was it?! Were you smooth, flirty Tobin or were you yourself?” Kelley rattles off questions at Tobin as soon as she walks through the front door. Kelley is practically vibrating with excitement, and Tobin smirks as she thinks of how coming home to her freckle-faced roommate is so similar to coming home to a wiggly puppy. 

Tobin drops her backpack on the couch and moves into the kitchen for a glass of water. “It was good, I guess,” she supplies as she fills her glass from the spout on the door of the refrigerator. 

“You guess?! What’s that supposed to mean?” Kelley asks, her voice cracking a bit as she calls out to Tobin from the living room. 

“It was great, Kelley. I had a great time. Christen is great. It was all so great that I think we’re going out again soon. So great,” Tobin elaborates, her tone flat as she starts up the stairway. Kelley falls quiet, watching with concern as Tobin retreats. 

She slips into her untidy room, tripping over a single sneaker as she closes the door behind her. Tobin sits on the edge of her bed, slides her feet out of her sneakers, and runs a hand through her wind-tangled hair. Tobin inhales deeply, then holds her breath for a moment as she realizes that the scent of Christen has latched onto her tank top from the hugs Christen gave her. She lets her breath out all at once as she lies back on her bed, rolling onto her side. It’s not even 4 o’clock in the afternoon, but she’s exhausted. She feels her phone buzz from inside her pants pocket, and she digs it out, dreading to see who the message is from. She covers her eyes with her forearm as she unlocks the screen, peeking out to see a message from Alex. 

Alex: _Are you home? How was it? Want me to come over? Hungry? Want me to bring sushi?_

Tobin chuckles softly at Alex’s mothering tendencies. She taps out a response. 

_What would I do without you? Yes to the sushi and company ASAP_

Tobin lays her phone down on the bed beside her and closes her eyes. 

She’s not sure how much time has passed when she feels Alex plop onto the bed next to her hip. Tobin opens her eyes slowly, rubbing them with her hands. “What time is it?”

“Almost 5 o’clock, sleepyhead,” Alex says with a smirk. “Sorry, I tried to get here quicker, but our sushi place was super busy.” 

“No worries,” Tobin says through a yawn. She sits up and scoots back toward the headboard of her bed, leaning against the wood. She extends her legs and pats the empty space to her left. Alex slides into the spot and passes Tobin a styrofoam container and a pair of wooden chopsticks, already broken apart because Alex knows Tobin always manages to snap one stick in half. 

“I didn’t expect you to be so...not jazzed after this date, Tobs. I thought you’d be happier, not worn out,” Alex mentions with concern. “What happened? Kelley told me on my way in that there was talk of a second date, so I - Oh, hi,” Alex cuts herself off as Tobin’s head falls onto her shoulder. 

Tobin finishes chewing her food and takes a swallow of water before speaking. Her voice is quiet and it cracks slightly. “I told her about the thing, Al.” 

Alex waits for Tobin to continue, and when she doesn’t, she wraps her arm around Tobin’s shoulders. “And how did that go?” she prompts. 

“I dunno. I hadn’t planned to talk about it, you know? It just happened. Everything was great and I was so happy… I was really happy, and I felt fine telling her. Until I started talking, then I choked.” 

“Wanna start from the beginning?” Alex asks, giving Tobin’s shoulders a reassuring squeeze. 

Tobin nods against her best friend's shoulder, and begins to tell Alex about her time with Christen, eventually getting around to their conversation at the café.

**. . .**

_“Well, the last time I was at home,” Tobin begins, poking at her sandwich with a plastic fork. Christen looks at her with genuine interest, causing Tobin to stumble over her words. “Yeah, I, uh, I was still living in Portland, playing with my last team, and I went to my parents’ for a long weekend in the summer. My brother and one of my sisters were both home, too, which was great…” Tobin trails off as Christen’s gaze remains on her. Christen doesn’t speak, and Tobin clears her throat, urging herself to keep talking._

_“But I, uh, I had invited my - my girlfriend at the time - I mean she’s my ex now, but anyway…” Tobin struggles to form sentences, a sure sign that she hasn’t talked about this to many people._

_Christen gives her a sweet smile. “You don’t have to tell me all this, Tobin, if it’s too much. I’d hate to upset you.”_

_“No, no, it’s fine. I kinda need to talk about it, you know?” Tobin supplies, relaxing a bit at Christen’s encouraging smile and nod._

_“Anyway, I invited her to come home with me. We’d been together for seven months then, and she hadn’t met my family yet. I mean, we did live across the country from them. And, uh, I wasn’t exactly ‘out’ to them yet, either…”_

_Christen chews a bite of her sandwich, trying to hide her slight surprise at Tobin’s confession. Tobin comes off as so relaxed and confident, comfortable with herself, on first impression. Seeing her so nervous and worried was one thing, but Christen couldn’t believe that Tobin hadn’t come out to her family when she was seven months into a relationship. Tobin mentioned earlier that she was close with them, or at least with her siblings, so surely they would have loved her all the same had she come out to them... Right?_

_“Did you introduce her as your girlfriend?” Christen asks, trying to help Tobin along._

_Tobin swallows a sip of her now-watery iced coffee, rubbing her palms on her thighs. “Uh, yeah, I did. She and I discussed it for days leading up to the trip, and she didn’t want me to basically lie to my family’s faces. So I sucked it up and promised her I'd do the right thing, even though I was terrified of what my family would say or think.”_

_“Understandable,” Christen says with a quick nod. “How did your family take it?”_

_Tobin hesitates, removing her snapback and placing it on the table next to her nearly untouched food. She pushes her fingers through her hair, pulling the long strands to the front of her shoulders. She looks down at her lap and mumbles, “Not very well.”_

_Christen lets out a small sigh. She was hoping that wasn’t the answer Tobin would give. She cautiously reaches a hand across the table, placing it in front of Tobin’s downward gaze to get her attention. She feels an urge to touch Tobin, to comfort her, but she hesitates._ Don't move too fast, Christen _, she reminds herself._ Not while she's upset like this.

_“Hey,” Christen says gently, choosing to try to soothe Tobin with words instead of touch. “It’s okay. You don’t have to continue.”_

_Tobin sniffs once, trying to maintain her composure, and her dignity. She’s already asked Christen on a second date, for Christ’s sake, and here she is falling apart in front of her._ Get it together, Heath _, Tobin mentally coaches at herself._

_“Yeah, I do have to,” Tobin replies finally, looking up to meet Christen’s soft smile. She inhales a slightly ragged breath through her mouth, exhaling sharply before continuing._

_“So, yeah, they didn’t take it well. My mom was shocked, to say the least. She didn’t believe me. My brother didn’t either. He thought I was kidding, which was so invalidating, you know? And my girlfriend just had to take it all. I couldn’t think or act fast enough and…” Tobin pauses, her gaze drifting away from Christen, to some spot just beyond her shoulder. “...And my dad, when he heard from the other room, he started yelling. He never yells,” Tobin explained, finally looking back at Christen, who is still listening and nodding._

_“I don’t remember ever hearing him yell before that,” Tobin repeats. “He never curses either, but he did when I tried to reintroduce my girlfriend.” Tobin’s breath catches in her throat, and she sniffs again. Her face grows warm and she blinks a few times to avoid the inevitable._ Come on, get yourself together _, she mentally urges herself again._

_“Tobin -” Christen starts, but Tobin waves her hand, cutting her off. She doesn’t want to hear Christen’s pity. She just wants to finish the story and move on, back to laughing and enjoying Christen’s company._

_“It’s fine. It happened. He called me a dyke, told me that he was disgusted, and demanded that we both leave immediately. And no one did anything to stop him, or to try to help us. My mom just stood by, still in shock, I guess. My brother and sister tried to interrupt my dad, tried to defend me maybe, but he wasn’t having it. We had to leave…” Tobin trails off again as her eyes finally well up with tears. She sniffles, trying to get out her last words before she falls apart completely, in public, with Christen._

_“I apologized again and again to my girlfriend as we drove to my friend’s house to crash on her couch until our flight back to Portland a couple days later. She kept giving me the cold shoulder, though, and we started arguing constantly, about little things. She wouldn’t talk to me about my family, though. It was like she didn’t feel any sympathy for me at all, which made the whole thing worse,” Tobin explains as she runs her index finger under both of her eyes, trying to catch her tears before they can fall, and wiping the mascara that Alex had forced on her that morning._

_“I’m so sorry,” Tobin hears Christen mumble. Tobin glances briefly up at Christen, noticing that her eyebrows were furrowed together and her once-bright eyes were clouded with concern._

_Tobin shrugs, causing her hair to fall behind her shoulders. She rubs her neck as she finishes her story. “We broke up the week after we got back to Portland,” she says, voice finally steady. “She told me that she couldn’t be in a relationship with someone who couldn’t be out around her family. Like that was my fault… I haven’t seen my parents since then. My dad usually doesn’t answer my calls, and my mom avoids asking me anything that might become personal. They stopped expecting me to come home for holidays. My siblings came around, mostly, but things aren’t the same.”_

_“Tobin, I…” Christen starts, fumbling over her thoughts. She looks Tobin in the eye, hoping to convey her feelings through her facial expression instead of through words. Tobin meets Christen’s gaze for a moment before lowering her eyes to the table._

_“Anyway, that’s why I jumped on the opportunity to play for this new team. I needed to get away from Portland but couldn’t go home. I knew some of my friends from the national team and from UNC were being asked to trade, so we did it together. Now they’re like my family, I guess,” Tobin finishes with an exhale through her nostrils, hoping she hasn’t overwhelmed Christen, as she feels completely overwhelmed herself._

_Tobin reaches for her drink, chewing the straw between sips, trying to collect herself. A couple tears stream down her cheeks, completely out of her control. She quickly wipes her face with the back of her hand, mortified that she’s crying in front of her date. She drops her hand onto her lap, and suddenly she feels Morena’s cold nose pushing against her fingers. Morena licks Tobin’s hand once, and Tobin can’t help but smile at the dog’s gesture._

_Christen notices and tugs Morena’s leash gently to make her leave Tobin alone. She laughs softly. “She’s got a sixth sense for tears,” Christen jokes, trying to lighten things up again._

_“She’s more sympathetic than my ex and my family,” Tobin retorts, chuckling darkly._

_Christen makes eye contact with Tobin again, holding it for a moment before speaking. “Thanks for talking about it with me,” she says with a smile that Tobin can’t help but return._

_“You’re a great listener,” Tobin compliments her, smiling shyly as she wipes under her eyes again._

_“I’m happy to listen any time! I hope you feel a little better after talking about it,” Christen says warily._

_“Yeah, I do, I guess,” Tobin admits. “I kinda wanted you to know up front, in case, well…”_

_“In case I decided I wanted to meet your family?” Christen finishes for her, grinning. “Let’s just get to our second date first, okay?”_

_Tobin laughs, and Christen beams at her, proud of herself for brightening Tobin up again. “Okay, okay. I just wanted you to know because, I, uh, haven’t really been dating since then. I’ve been scared to have to face them again, you know? So I’ve been avoiding acting on any feelings I’ve had for anyone. But, now here you are, and I just don’t want that to… affect us, okay?” Tobin looks at Christen with a deep worry evident on her face._

_Christen nods thoughtfully, then she looks at Tobin with a glint in her eye. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Tobin Heath,” she reassures her, giggling as Tobin visibly relaxes._

**. . .**

“Proud of you for opening up, babe,” Alex finally supplies, pressing a quick closed-mouth kiss onto the top of Tobin’s head as she finishes recounting her talk with Christen. “So how are you feeling now?”

Tobin pops the last piece of her sushi roll into her mouth, chewing slowly as she contemplates her answer to Alex’s question. 

“Relieved,” she says finally, swallowing. “I feel relieved. I’m glad she knows the deal, I guess. She’s so close with her family, so it probably would have come up later anyway. I mean, if there’s going to be a later…” Tobin says, catching her assumption. 

Alex notices Tobin’s implication, too, and she laughs. “It sounds to me like you’ve got at least one ‘later’ penciled in,” Alex says. 

Tobin’s phone buzzes then, and she opens the message with her phone still laying on the bed at her left hip, away from Alex’s prying eyes. 

_Christen: In case you still need some cheering up, buttercup…_

Tobin feels a wide smile spread across her face, stretching her tear-dried skin. A blurry selfie of Christen appears, Morena licking her beaming face. Tobin can almost feel Christen’s sunshine through the screen as she taps out a response. 

_Looks like Morena misses me, huh? ;) Guess I need a playdate with her soon_

Alex has been atypically silent, not bugging Tobin about the content of the messages at all. Tobin glances at her best friend, phone now in her hand with Christen still grinning up at her. She suddenly feels a little self-conscious as Alex stares back at her, thinking. 

“You look happy,” Alex comments. “Finally.” 

Tobin smirks to cover her slight embarrassment, lightly punching Alex’s bicep. “Oh, hush,” she says, letting her head fall back to Alex’s shoulder. She does feel happy, though, so she knows Alex must be right, as usual. In fact, Tobin feels more than happy with Christen in the picture, which both scares and excites her.

**. . .**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! There's more where this came from.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little shorter, but I needed a transition. The next one is on its way!

The phone continues to ring, for a third, then fourth time. Finally, the ringing tone stops. Tobin combs her fingers through her hair, and her stomach flutters as she waits to hear Christen’s voice. It has been nearly a week since their date, and they’ve only texted each other a couple of times in between. Tobin finds herself more and more nervous as the seconds pass. 

“Coastal Yoga, this is Erin. What can I do for you?” the voice says. 

Tobin hesitates before speaking. She might have over-prepared herself for this call, reciting what she wanted to say over and over before dialing the studio, but she didn’t prepare to talk to anyone other than Christen. “Hi Erin, uh, is Christen around? If she’s busy, that’s okay, um -” 

“Sure, I’ll go grab her for you. She should be free right now. May I ask who’s calling?” 

“It’s Tobin.” 

“Right, Tobin, hold on just a second, okay?” Erin responds before setting the phone down on the desk. 

Erin slips around the corner from the lobby into a small meditation room where Christen sits on a mat on the floor, laptop on her outstretched legs, taking a break between her afternoon classes. Christen looks up as Erin appears in the doorway. “Phone for you,” Erin says with a smirk. “She’s a real charmer,” she jokes, referring to Tobin's stuttering on the phone. 

Christen rolls her eyes at her co-worker as she sets her laptop aside and stands, gently bumping Erin out of the doorway so she can walk toward the lobby. 

Tobin can hear the studio’s music playing softly, and the muffled sound of voices somewhere near the lobby floats into the phone as well. She takes a deep breath and begins pacing around the living room. She stubs her big toe on the edge of the couch just before Christen picks up the phone. 

“Hello?” Tobin hears Christen say, but she can’t respond just yet, instead letting out a quiet groan and a sharp exhale at the pain radiating through her toe. “Tobin? Are you okay?”

Tobin sits down on the couch, collecting herself. She pulls her foot onto her opposite thigh, holding her toe tightly to stop the throbbing. Finally she speaks. “Hi! Sorry, I’m here.” 

“Oh, hi! What’s up?” Christen asks, nervously clicking a pen from the front desk over and over. _Why is Tobin calling me at work?_ , she wonders silently. 

“Um, well, wait. Sorry if it’s weird that I’m calling you at work,” Tobin begins. “I wasn’t sure if you have your cell on you while you’re there, so I… yeah, anyway, I just wanted to let you know that our home opener game is on Saturday, and I thought that maybe if you aren’t busy, you might want to come,” Tobin finishes finally, letting her foot drop to the floor now that the pain has subsided. 

“Oh, I’d love that! I don’t have any Saturday plans at all, actually, after teaching a morning class. When is your game?” Christen responds, trying not to sound overly excited. 

“Kick-off is at 4:30, but the gates open at 3 o’clock. It might be kinda crowded, but I’ll get you a ticket so you should have a decent seat in the assigned section,” Tobin explains as she leans back on the couch, slouching against its large cushions. 

“Oooh, I get the VIP treatment from Tobin Heath?!” Christen exclaims, twirling a lock of her ponytail. 

Tobin laughs softly in response, relieved that Christen is interested after all. “Sure thing,” she murmurs into the phone. “I can get you two tickets, if you want to bring someone…” she offers hesitantly. 

“That’s sweet, but I’m a single crazy dog lady, remember?” Christen jokes, giggling at herself. “I’m happy to come solo. Thank you so much for thinking of me, Tobin!” 

“Glad you’re into it! I’ll see you in the stands on Saturday,” Tobin says through a smile so wide that Christen might be able to see it through the phone. 

“I’m so excited! See you Saturday!” Christen says, bouncing to her feet after she places the phone back on its receiver behind the desk. She floats back into the meditation room and is startled to see Erin sitting in her previous spot, scrolling through the web page that Christen left open. “What are you doing?” Christen asks Erin, her voice thick with suspicion.

“Just picking up where you left off,” Erin responds casually, without looking up from the screen. “Pretty impressive, huh?” Erin muses, still scrolling. 

Realizing that Erin is simply looking at the page about Tobin that Christen had previously found on Google, Christen takes a seat next to her, leaning in to follow Erin’s finger across a wide chart with several columns of numbers. Christen simply nods, and Erin glances at her, picking up on her co-worker’s sudden bashfulness. Erin closes the laptop and passes it to Christen before standing up. She pats her dark hair and chuckles a little. “Chris, you’re in too deep. Look at you, stalking her career online.” 

“I was just curious! I knew she must be good…” Christen defends herself, re-opening her laptop to admire a portrait of Tobin in a national team jersey. “She invited me to her game on Saturday,” she mentions, but Erin is already on her way out of the room. 

“Did you get a pass to the locker room after?” Erin teases, turning around to waggle her eyebrows at Christen. “You gonna make a sign for her, you little lovesick puppy?” she calls out over her shoulder, returning to the front desk. 

“So what if I do?” Christen mumbles with some sass.

**…**

The next day, Friday, Tobin is off her game at morning practice. It’s a gentle pre-game practice, but she’s still hard on herself for losing possession to her teammates and zoning out on the pitch. _What’s gotten into you, Heath?_ , she asks herself mentally after losing possession for the fifth time, this time after just one touch. She feels her coach’s eyes on her, but he simply tells her to shake it off.

When practice is over, Tobin is quick to change and head outside with her longboard, circling the parking lot of the athletic complex with her headphones in while she waits for Allie. Her music is interrupted by the sound of an incoming message, and Tobin pauses, dropping one foot off of her board onto the pavement. She checks over her shoulder for Allie as she opens the message. 

Christen: _Quick ? - What’s your #?_

Tobin’s eyebrows raise as she reads Christen’s question a second time. “My jersey number?” she mumbles aloud as she begins to type a reply. 

_It’s 17, why? Gonna paint it on your pretty face? :)_

Christen responds quickly. _Something like that!_ is all she sends, leaving Tobin with her curiosity.

Allie sneaks up on Tobin just as she’s pocketing her phone, and Tobin jumps when Allie grabs her shoulders, shouting “Hey!” as she does. 

“Finally,” Tobin says dramatically, reaching down to gather her longboard. “I thought you’d left me alone to starve,” she adds, rubbing her hand in a circle over her stomach, pouting her lower lip out at Allie, who simply waves her off. 

“Okay, drama queen, let’s go,” she says, leading Tobin to her car, keys dangling from her hand. 

As she slides into Allie’s passenger seat and slips her right arm through the seatbelt, Tobin briefly imagines Christen beaming from the stands while she’s on the pitch the next day. She bites her lip to hide a smile, trying to avoid being interrogated by Allie. Tobin looks out the window as Allie turns on some music and pulls out of the parking lot. She lets her image of Christen replay over and over in her mind as the car turns onto the road toward home. 

“You’re quiet. Everything okay?” Allie asks, pulling Tobin out of her daydream. 

“Yeah, just fine,” Tobin reassures her, a small smile sneaking onto her face. 

“Hey, wait, you never told me about your date!” Allie says with mocked offense. 

“You never asked,” Tobin retorts, smirking at Allie in the driver’s seat. “Where have you even been?” she asks the blonde, realizing how little she had seen Allie over the past week. 

“I know, I know. I’ve just been so busy with the new sponsorships, you know? Moving down here with you really did me good,” Allie responds, giving Tobin an apologetic smile. “Anyway, let’s find somewhere to eat and you can tell me all about how lovesick you are, deal?” 

Tobin narrows her eyes at Allie’s comment, but nods in response. “Burgers,” she suggests. 

“Perfect,” Allie says, switching lanes to take an exit toward the restaurant they both have in mind without asking each other.

**…**

That night, Tobin tucks herself into bed before 9:30, hoping to get plenty of sleep before game day. Instead of falling right to sleep like she normally does, though, she lies on her back, eyes wide open. She feels unusually jittery, unable to completely still her body. After lying that way for nearly an hour, trying to coerce herself to sleep, Tobin rolls out of bed and quietly pads down the stairway. She slips on her flip flops and tugs a hoodie over her messy bun before stepping out the front door. She meanders down the driveway and takes a left on the sidewalk, hoping that a short walk around the block will soothe her so she can finally sleep.

Tobin isn’t sure where to place the blame for her uneasiness. She’s usually one of the most cool, calm, and collected members of any team, even right before a game. She gently massages the tops of her shoulders over her thick sweatshirt as she walks, trying to relieve some tension. _Maybe you need to do yoga more often_ , she silently suggests to herself with a chuckle. 

She walks for what feels like half an hour, and is nearly back to her driveway when she finally admits to herself the reason behind her jitters. “It’s gotta be,” she mumbles insistently to herself, shuffling up the driveway. 

Finally back in bed, Tobin scrolls through her phone, checking her various social media accounts before her thumb finds its way to the messages icon. As her eyelids grow heavy and her nerves finally settle, Tobin’s gaze falls onto the selfie of Christen she received days ago. “Hopeless, Heath,” she murmurs to herself with a sleepy smile as she sets her phone aside, letting the screen fall dark on its own.

**…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Plot predictions? It's game day in the next chapter... :)


	8. Chapter 8

After warm-ups, Tobin sits still in front of her locker, headphones on, as her teammates move about around her, preparing for the game in their own ways. She woke up feeling more relaxed than she did at practice yesterday and definitely better than she felt last night. She spent the morning coaching herself not to be so spacey, so easily distracted. _Just pretend she’s not there_ , Tobin recalls advising herself. 

As she follows her teammates onto the pitch a few minutes later, she laughs at her previous advice. Her mind is instantly focused on finding Christen, and she scans the front rows of the home side stands, looking for that megawatt smile. She remembers that Christen's seat should have been fairly close to the bench, based on her ticket, and her eyes flit there as she stops in line next to her teammates. It takes another moment of scanning the crowd, but finally her eyes land on Christen. Tobin's stomach flutters as Christen realizes she sees her, giving Tobin a wave and a huge grin before pointing at her white t-shirt. Tobin can't quite make out what's on it, but she thinks she sees a huge hand-painted “17” on the front, and suddenly she's beaming.

The national anthem begins to play and Tobin finds her heart full and her mind wandering. She goes through the appropriate pre-game motions, thinking about how nice it is to know that just one person in the crowd is there just for her. She hasn't had a personal cheerleader like that since she played in Portland and her ex would come to a game here and there, when she wasn't working. Her family used to watch her games online or on TV, but she doubts they make time for that now. As she takes her place at midfield, Tobin glances toward Christen one last time, grateful for her presence.

**. . .**

Tobin played her perfect game, despite her lackluster practice and sleepless night beforehand. She came out with a goal and an assist, and she swears she could pick Christen’s voice out of the crowd, cheering for her both times.

Now, a few minutes after the final whistle, the pitch is mostly calm and Tobin hangs around on the side with Kelley and Alex, waiting as the crowd to gathers for autographs. She’s sitting on the grass stretching her legs when Alex nudges her shoulder with a knee. “I see you found yourself your own personal cheerleader,” Alex comments, nodding her head toward Christen, who has found her way toward the front of the line of fans. 

Tobin swats Alex’s leg as she pushes herself up to her feet. She notices that Kelley has already started moving down the line at the end farthest from them, taking silly photos with a few younger fans. 

“She’s pretty cute, huh?” Tobin says over her shoulder as she makes her way toward the crowd, but Alex has already turned to jog toward Kelley, leaving Tobin to talk to herself. 

Tobin signs a couple shirts and soccer balls as she moves toward the center of the group, toward Christen. She tries not to rush, knowing that the fans really enjoy this part. She poses for a couple selfies, mostly taken by adolescent girls leaning over the railing, arms outstretched and thumbs poised over the camera button. Finally, the crowd seems to be thinning as the fans get the experiences they waited for and decide to head home. Tobin takes a couple more steps to her right, pausing to scrawl her name across one last paper program, as Christen appears in her periphery, smiling shyly. 

“Don’t worry, I don’t need an autograph,” Christen jokes, waving her hand at Tobin. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want me to hang around or not, so here I am,” she adds with a shrug. 

“I’m glad you did,” Tobin reassures her with a grin. “Do you want -” she starts, only to be interrupted by Kelley, who comes bounding over, finished with the fans herself. Kelley opens her mouth to speak to Tobin, stopping herself when she looks up and sees Christen. 

“Oh my God!” Kelley squeals. She punches Tobin’s arm a little too hard. “Tobs, you didn’t tell me this was your Christen!” 

“Ow! First of all she’s not my -” Tobin begins, but she’s cut off again as Christen squeals herself. 

“Kelley, I had no idea you were here! I heard them announce your name and couldn’t believe it!”

Tobin looks between the two as they chatter excitedly. They’re so loud that Alex looks over with a raised eyebrow, quizzical, and Tobin throws her hands up in the air with a look of confusion on her face in response. 

Finally, Kelley drapes her arm around Tobin’s sweaty shoulders. “Chris and I went to Stanford together!” she explains. “Why didn’t you tell me that’s who you’ve been gaga over?!” 

Tobin blushes at Kelley’s forwardness, while Christen suppresses a giggle. “You didn’t ask?” she supplies, still confused. The two clearly know each other well enough for the use of nicknames, and Tobin finds herself thinking back through her talks with Christen recently, realizing that she must not have mentioned the name of her roommates at any point. 

“Well now you know! And now I get to be extra stoked that you two are canoodling!” Kelley says, bouncing on her toes. “Chris, meet us out front, okay? Join our hangout tonight!” 

Tobin sighs at Kelley, running a hand over her hair. Christen glances warily at Tobin. “Are you sure?” she asks Kelley, mostly looking for an okay from Tobin. 

Kelley looks between Christen and her roommate before nodding enthusiastically. “Yep!” 

“Why not?” Tobin says, giving in. 

“Well, if you’re sure…” Christen says, giving them both a smile. “I’ll meet you out there!” She gathers her things and turns toward the stairs out of the stadium. Tobin watches her leave for a moment before realizing she still needs to change. 

Kelley bounds away toward the locker room, pausing to turn back toward Tobin, walking backwards as she calls out, "Hey, make her put _my_ number on her shirt next time, will ya?" She laughs at herself as she turns and continues toward the locker room. 

Tobin rolls her eyes and jogs to catch up with Alex, who is walking in that direction, too. “Hey, great game, killer,” she compliments her best friend, wrapping an arm around Alex’s waist. 

Alex grins and leans into Tobin’s grip. “Not too shabby yourself, despite your, um, slight distraction,” she comments, teasing Tobin. 

“Hey, I wasn’t distracted!” Tobin responds defensively. “I was so there.”

“Whatever you need to tell yourself,” Alex says, sticking her tongue out at Tobin as they separate to enter the locker room. 

Tobin makes her way toward her locker, noticing that Allie is already at hers, seated on the bench with an ice bag over her shin where she took a jab earlier. Tobin ruffles the blonde’s hair as she passes, stopping at her locker, the next one over. “You good?”

Allie nods, but Tobin has already turned her back, she realizes, so she speaks up. “Yep, I’ll be fine. No big deal. Hey, what’s with Kels?” she asks, motioning toward Kelley, whose locker is diagonal to theirs. Kelley is practically vibrating with happiness as she changes faster than either of her roommates have ever seen. 

Tobin laughs softly at the sight of Kelley before responding to Allie. “Apparently, she and Christen went to Stanford together, and haven’t talked in years, until today. They didn’t even know each other lived here. So, naturally, Kelley invited Christen over for our post-game hangout,” Tobin explains, exhaling through her nostrils when she finishes talking. 

Allie shakes her head, never surprised by Kelley. “Wait, you mean your Christen? Are you cool with that?”

“She’s not _mine_ ,” Tobin huffs, tugging a clean team t-shirt over her head. “And yeah, it’s fine, I guess.” 

“You’ll be fine, Toby,” Allie says, her voice mockingly sweet. “Meet you outside?”

Tobin frowns at the nickname she hates, giving Allie a nod. She finishes changing and sweeps her hair up into a half-bun. She drops her flip flops onto the floor by her feet, sliding into them as she shuts her locker. Tobin takes one last deep breath, preparing herself for the evening ahead of her as she walks toward the exit.

**. . .**

Back at their shared home, Tobin and Allie try to clean up the living room as Kelley drags Christen through the house on a “tour.” “I don’t know how that girl managed to get through college with Kels around,” Allie muses, listening to Kelley dominate the conversation. “It sounds like she’s talking to herself.”

Tobin pauses, half-full trash bag in her hand, listening as Kelley’s voice grows louder as the two return from upstairs. She laughs to herself, humming in agreement with Allie. She straightens the couch cushions with her free hand before walking into the kitchen to drop the bag into the trash can. 

“Delivery!” Alex calls through the house as she lets herself in, arms full of paper bags. 

“Kitchen!” Tobin responds, meeting Alex around the corner to take a bag from her. They begin spreading out the containers of Thai food that Alex had been tasked with picking up on her way over. 

Alex bumps Tobin’s hip with her own. “Did I see Christen’s car in the driveway, or did I imagine that?” Alex asks, voice barely above a whisper. “Answer me fast!”

“You didn’t imagine it,” Tobin answers, voice flat. She snaps the plastic lids off a few containers, inspecting the contents. “You got my favorites!” she says happily, trying to change the subject with Alex. 

“Duh,” Alex responds. “She and Kelley seem to be getting along well already,” she comments, turning the conversation back to its original topic. 

Tobin follows Alex’s eyes through the kitchen window to the back porch, where Kelley and Christen are swinging, legs dangling, in her hammock. Christen laughs loudly as Kelley tells a story with her hands moving animatedly. “They know each other from Stanford,” Tobin mentions without looking away. 

“Stop staring!” Alex scolds her. Tobin tears her eyes away from the window and follows Alex outside. “Food’s inside,” Alex mentions, sitting down at the outdoor table with her own plate already made. 

“Great, I’m starved!” Kelley exclaims, springing out of the hammock and leaving Christen behind. 

Tobin falls into Kelley’s spot, slowly raising her hands above her head to interlace her fingers so she can lean her head back into her hands. She feels her palms start to sweat as she realizes how close she and Christen are, their legs touching as the hammock forces their weight to the center. _Should have thought that one through, Heath_ , she admonishes herself mentally. 

“Hi,” Christen says quietly, her voice a little unsure as Tobin hasn’t spoken since she joined her in the hammock. She smiles at Tobin as the soccer player shakes her head gently, clearly pulling herself from her thoughts. 

“Hi, how’s it going? You two seem pretty close,” Tobin finally comments, pulling her bun loose and tousling her hair with her hands still behind her head. 

“We used to be, yeah. I can’t believe we’ve fallen so out of touch. She was one of my best friends and we did pretty well while we were both still in California after graduation, but then I guess we went our separate ways, literally, and now here we are.”

“Hey, it happens. It’s pretty cool that you’re both here now, though, huh?” Tobin lets her hands fall onto her lap and she dries her palms on her shorts. 

Christen smiles and nudges Tobin’s ribs with her elbow. “Pretty cool that you’re here, too,” she says softly. 

Tobin’s stomach flutters and she returns Christen’s smile. She opens her mouth to reply to Christen, but Allie suddenly passes by with a plate of food in her hand, and she raises her eyebrows at Tobin with curiosity. Tobin eyes her roommate as she takes a seat next to Alex, then she remembers the food she’d yet to offer to Christen. 

“Are you hungry? There’s tons of Thai food in the kitchen…” Tobin offers, but Kelley returns with a plate piled high, speaking before Christen can answer. 

“Okay, lovebirds, where am I supposed to sit now?” Kelley asks, looking dramatically between the two of them. 

“Come here, Kels, here girl,” Alex says, whistling at Kelley like she’s a puppy as she pats the empty chair next to her. Christen and Tobin laugh as Kelley rolls her eyes and huffs out a sigh, retreating to the table. “Good girl,” Alex praises, her voice drawling as she ruffles the freckle-faced girl’s hair. 

Christen’s stomach growls as her laughter subsides, and it’s loud enough for Tobin to hear. Tobin laughs again and swings forward to stand up. She reaches a hand down to Christen, who takes it and allows herself to be pulled to her feet. Christen smiles and squeezes Tobin’s hand when she tries to let go. “Lead the way,” Christen says, motioning toward the kitchen with her free hand. 

“Have some of whatever you want,” Tobin offers as they approach the counter that’s lined with takeout boxes. Christen drops her hand to reach for a paper plate from the stack, and Tobin rubs her palms against her shorts again, wishing her nerves would subside. She waits for Christen to pick out her food before making a plate for herself. 

“Thanks for letting me crash your hangout,” Christen says, leaning back against the counter and lifting a forkful of noodles to her mouth. 

Tobin shrugs as she spoons chicken onto her plate. “I’m not complaining,” she replies. 

“Good,” Christen sasses back. “I’d hate to leave you with a pouty Kelley had you said no,” she adds, chewing her bottom lip through a smile. 

Tobin finishes making her plate and leads Christen back outside, choosing to sit on the ground next to the hammock to avoid spilling food all over herself and Christen like she fears she would if they were to be that close again so soon. She motions for Christen to take the hammock for herself. 

“Are you sure?” Christen asks hesitantly. When Tobin nods, mouth full of food, Christen obeys, sitting down with her legs over the side. 

“Chris! I want to take one of your yoga classes!” Kelley calls out from across the porch. Alex snorts in response, and Kelley glares at her. 

“Kels, you might need to take a private class,” Tobin suggests. “Everyone else would probably be distracted by how distracted you can be,” she jokes. 

Christen laughs softly, remembering Kelley’s high energy levels from college. “I’m sure we could working something out,” she says, reassuring Kelley, who sticks her tongue out at Tobin with her nose scrunched. 

They all continue eating, commenting about the food, debriefing moments of the game, and joking with each other until everyone’s plates are clean. Out of the corner of her eye, Tobin catches Christen checking the time on her phone, and she nudges Christen’s foot with her own. 

“Need to get back to Morena?” Tobin asks quietly. 

Christen gives her a shy smile, regretting checking the time and making herself look like she isn’t having fun. “Yeah, she’s been alone all day…” she explains, hoping Tobin won’t be offended. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it. She’s more important than all of this anyway,” Tobin jokes, gesturing around the group as Kelley, Alex, and Allie continue their own conversation. “Come on, I’ll walk you out,” Tobin offers, getting to her feet with her empty plate in hand. 

Christen rises from the hammock and follows Tobin through the house, dropping her plate into the kitchen trash can on the way. She grabs her jacket and purse off the edge of the couch where Kelley tossed them when they began their “tour” earlier. Tobin hovers around the front door, hands in her pockets, as Christen slips her arms into her jacket and plucks her keys from her small crossbody bag. “Ready,” she confirms, jingling her keys at Tobin. 

Tobin opens the front door, allowing Christen to step through first. She steps out onto the porch, closing the door behind her, and realizes how relieving it can be to be away from her easily excitable friends for just a moment. She lets out a sigh as Christen hovers on the porch, keys poised to unlock her car. 

Christen gives her a hesitant smile before she asks, “Guess I won’t see you at yoga tomorrow, will I? You’re probably exhausted after a day like this.” 

“You’re right,” Tobin says with a nod. “But,” she starts, tucking some loose strands of hair behind her ear. “Start thinking about something you’d like to do for that second date,” she finishes, grinning at Christen. 

“Hey, you’re the one who asked for it! Why do I have to come up with ideas?” Christen replies, giggling as she pokes Tobin's bicep. 

“You’re right, I guess. I thought I could get away with it because Alex technically chose our last date for us.” 

"Oh yeah," Christen says, continuing to laugh as she finally drops the hand holding her keys to her side. Tobin runs a hand through her hair nervously, trying to hide her anxiety with a smile. 

“Okay,” Christen breathes, recovering from her laughter. “I’ve gotta get home to my pup now,” she says, giving Tobin an apologetic look. 

Tobin nods. “Thanks for being my cheerleader today,” she says, immediately regretting how corny she just sounded. She laughs at herself. “That sounded better in my head,” she adds, her nerves finally showing. 

“Hey, I’ll cheer you on anytime. You really kill it out there,” Christen reassures her, flashing her white teeth at Tobin once more. She tries to meet Tobin’s eyes which have fallen down toward their feet, and when Tobin doesn’t look up, Christen leans toward her and places a kiss on her cheek. 

Tobin blinks at the surprise contact, finally tilting her chin back up. She smiles at Christen before speaking. “Have a good night,” she murmurs, still a little stunned. 

“See you soon?” Christen asks, her voice cracking at the end of her question. She clears her throat, now nervous as well. 

“Definitely,” Tobin replies. She watches Christen walk to her car and slide into the driver’s seat, returning the wave Christen gives her through the windshield. Tobin stays on the porch until Christen’s car has backed out of her driveway and disappears around the corner. For once, she finds herself grateful for Kelley’s eagerness to surround herself with people.

**. . .**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, share your thoughts in the comments, if you want! :) I promise things will pick up soon.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More adorable Preath, just for you!

On Sunday morning, Tobin finally gets to sleep in. She wakes up slowly, uncurling herself from the fetal position she slept in and stretching all of her limbs across her bed, eyes still closed. She inhales deeply, letting her breath out slowly through her lips. _Finally_ , she thinks to herself as her eyes blink open and focus on the clock on her bedside table, noting that it's nearly 11 o’clock. 

Just as she considers rolling back over and catching a few more minutes of sleep, her phone dings from underneath the unused pillow on her bed. Tobin slides it out and holds it above her face, struggling not to drop it as her hands aren't quite functional yet. She swipes across the screen and opens the message that just arrived. 

Christen: _Kinda missed you in my morning class :(_

Tobin lets her hand fall to her chest then, still gripping her phone. She loves Christen's flirty sweetness, but sometimes her nerves get the best of her and she has no clue how to respond. She allows her still-sleepy eyes to fall shut as she thinks of what to send back to Christen. _Come on_ , she urges herself mentally. _Where's your game?_

Finally Tobin lifts her phone up again and begins tapping out a response. _I'll make it up to you, don't worry!_ , is all she sends, locking her screen and tossing her phone aside as she rolls out of bed. 

She drags her feet across the floor to her bathroom, where she leans over her sink and turns on the faucet, splashing water over her face. Tobin runs a wet hand through her bed-tangled hair, trying to tame it a little. She stares at her reflection and finds herself smiling as she recalls how her night ended, and how her game day went in general. Finally she leaves her bathroom, snagging a pair of sweats and stepping into them as she crosses her bedroom toward the door. She pauses, turning around to collect her phone from her bed, before continuing downstairs. 

Tobin checks her messages again as she takes the stairs slowly, her body tired from playing all 90 minutes of yesterday's game, despite her full night of sleep. She opens her conversation with Christen and reads her response. 

_I can't wait. Give me a hint?_

Tobin panics internally as she reaches the bottom of the stairs, knowing she has no plans or ideas yet. She sits down on the second-to-last step, staring at her phone. _Think, Tobin, think_ , she urges herself. 

Finally she types a response and sends it, hoping that Christen will laugh and let the topic go for now. _Here's a hint: hope you like surprises!_

Tobin stands up from her seat on the stairway just as Kelley rounds the corner into the living room from the kitchen, carrying a plate of toast and a glass of chocolate milk. Tobin swipes a piece of toast from her unsuspecting roommate’s plate, biting into it as Kelley groans. 

“Get your own, Tobs!” she scolds, reaching toward her as if she were going to take back the bitten piece. 

“Now I don't need to.” Tobin chuckles as she chews, following Kelley into the living room and flopping down onto the couch. “Kels,” she begins, swallowing. “Throw some second date ideas at me. And don't make me regret asking you,” Tobin adds quickly, glaring at Kelley. 

“Umm,” Kelley mumbles, sipping her milk as she thinks. “Beach?” 

“Nope, did that.”

“Coffee?”

“Kelley, did you listen to me at all after our first date?” Tobin asks, shaking her head. 

“Tobin, we've never been on a first date,” Kelley retorts, making a disgruntled face at her roommate. “Fine, how about something with her dog? She loves that thing.” 

Tobin throws her hands up. “Did that, too. Thanks anyway.”

“Maybe your first date was just too good then,” Kelley mutters, finishing her breakfast. 

Tobin rolls her eyes and pulls a pillow over her face. “What am I gonna do?” she groans into the fabric. 

She hears Kelley begin babbling on about something she's reading on her phone, and she chuckles at how easily distracted her roommate can be. Suddenly, Tobin has a light-bulb moment, recalling their jokes about Kelley the night before when she insisted to Christen that she wanted to take a yoga class. 

“That's it!” she says with resolve, tossing the pillow aside. 

“What?” Kelley asks, clearly confused by Tobin's outburst. 

Tobin doesn't answer. She reaches for her phone, picking it up from where she dropped it on the coffee table. She checks the time, confirming that Christen should be teaching her second class of the day, before dialing the yoga studio. 

Erin picks up on the third ring. “Hi, Coastal Yoga, this is Erin.”

“Hey Erin, it's Tobin again. Can you help me with something for Christen?”

**…**

A few days pass with Tobin and Christen texting each other nonstop -- before soccer practice, between yoga classes, after a team dinner, in bed snuggling with Morena, and so on. Tobin's collection of received selfies in which Christen is glowing like the sun continues to grow, and Christen continues to hint at wanting to see Tobin again soon. Tobin knows she's growing impatient, but she doesn't give in when Christen pesters her for clues.

On Wednesday afternoon, Tobin slips into Coastal Yoga, giving her longboard to Erin to hide it behind the front desk. The two carry yoga mats and boxes and bags of food from Christen's favorite café into the smaller of the two yoga studios. Erin helps Tobin lay things out before returning to the front desk. Tobin sits looking out at the ocean, waiting for Christen. 

Meanwhile, Christen returns from her lunch break, during which she usually goes home to walk Morena and rarely has time for lunch afterward. She drops her things in the staff room and starts prepping for her next class. Erin’s voice from the doorway startles her. 

“Hey, uh, your class is cancelled,” Erin mentions. 

“What? Why?” Christen asks, confused. 

“You might find out if you go check out the second studio,” Erin suggests with a shrug. 

Christen gives her a skeptical look, pushing past her co-worker to walk down the hall. She peers into the smaller studio, not sure what to expect. _Did something happen to the studio?_ , Christen wonders silently. She grins when she sees a familiar figure sitting on the floor by the window, back to her, leaning back on her palms. Christen remains quiet for a moment, admiring Tobin's toned arms and the way her light brown hair flows over her shoulders. Finally she clears her throat and steps into the room. 

“Hi,” she says quietly, hoping she doesn't startle Tobin. 

Tobin turns around as Christen approaches her, giving her a grin. “Hey, you,” she breathes, happier to see Christen than she thought she could be. 

“So you're the reason my afternoon class is cancelled, hmm?” Christen questions, taking a seat close to Tobin. 

Tobin shrugs, answering with a half-smile. “How else was I supposed to find time to see you?”

“Clever,” Christen comments, eyes sparkling at Tobin. “What's all this?” she asks, gesturing over Tobin's set up. 

“Oh, um, I brought you that salad you said you liked so much, and some cookies from that gluten-free bakery you raved about,” Tobin explains, chewing her bottom lip as Christen watches her point to each box and bag. 

“How did you remember all that?” Christen wonders aloud with a smile spreading across her face again. “Thank you.” 

“The rest is for me,” Tobin jokes, trying to ease her own nerves. 

“Good, I hate eating alone.”

Tobin smiles. “But first,” she starts, pushing herself to her feet. “I want a private yoga class to make up for my absence on Sunday.”

Christen laughs softly, standing up herself. “I guess I can make that happen,” she responds. “On one condition…” 

“Shoot,” Tobin says, eyeing her expectantly. 

“I get all the cookies,” Christen contends, narrowing her eyes at Tobin and glancing down at the box. 

“All except one,” Tobin challenges back. 

“Deal,” Christen says, her face breaking into a smile. “Okay, let's get started.”

**…**

About 45 minutes later, Tobin flops onto her back, loose hair splaying across her yoga mat. Christen giggles at her, nudging Tobin's foot with her own from where she sits on her own mat to the right of Tobin's hip.

“I didn't come here for you to stretch me into taffy, Christen,” Tobin groans, upping her dramatics to earn another adorable giggle from the dark-haired girl next to her. 

“Hey, when you ask for a private class, you're the center of attention. I did what you wanted. You just didn't know what you were in for.”

“You're right, I didn't,” Tobin agrees, propping herself up onto her elbows so she can look at Christen. “But I did well, right?” 

Christen laughs softly. “It's not about doing things right or wrong,” she explains. “It's more about how you feel during and after.”

“Well, I already told you I feel as rigid as a ruler compared to your bendy self,” Tobin reminds her, sticking her tongue out at Christen. 

“Fine, but you did do well. Aside from the several moments when you were clearly, um, not paying attention,” Christen says with a giggle. 

Tobin blushes, not realizing how many times Christen may have caught her staring. “Private yoga class means you're the center of my attention, too,” she retorts, giving Christen a wink. 

Christen holds Tobin's eye contact for a moment, smiling at her wit, before speaking again. “Yeah well, now I'm ready for those cookies to be the center of my attention for a minute,” she says. “Hand ‘em over.”

Tobin reaches behind herself and drags the food she brought closer to where she and Christen are sitting. She picks up the container of cookies, opens it, and swipes one from the top of the stack before passing the box to Christen, who immediately takes one out as well. 

“A cookies-before-salad girl, huh?” Tobin teases, one eyebrow raised as she takes a bite. Christen breaks her own cookie in half, popping one piece into her mouth. She gives Tobin a closed-lip smile in response, cheeks full as she begins chewing. 

Christen slides closer to Tobin as she swallows, offering the second half of her cookie to Tobin by holding it up her her lips. Tobin smirks but opens her mouth and allows Christen to feed her. A smile lights up her green-grey eyes, and Christen reaches behind Tobin for her salad. 

Tobin chews slowly, watching Christen, enthralled by her every move, no matter how simple. She blushes again when Christen looks up at her with a forkful of salad aimed at her lips. 

“Sorry,” Tobin apologizes, reaching for her own lunch, a sandwich from the same café where she picked up the salad. She slides the sandwich out of its paper bag, unwrapping it. “What do you do when you're not doing yoga?” she asks Christen quietly before taking a bite of her food. 

“Good question,” Christen responds. “I realized recently that my work had become my life,” she adds with a small sigh. “Yoga used to be what I did in my free time, to take care of myself, then I got so wrapped up in doing it as a job that I kind of lost what I used to do for me.”

“So besides taking care of Morena, I don't really do anything else. Not steadily, anyway,” Christen finishes, taking another bite of her salad. 

“You need a new hobby then,” Tobin suggests, reaching for the water bottle she brought and bringing it to her lips. Christen watches as Tobin drinks, suddenly distracted by her mouth around the bottle and the way her throat ripples as she swallows. Christen swallows, too, trying to suppress her feelings so she can respond to Tobin. 

“You're probably right. Good thing I've recently gotten into watching women's soccer,” she says, crinkling her nose as she grins at Tobin. 

“I don't know if going to one game counts as a hobby…” 

“I guess you'll have to invite me to another one then,” Christen says matter-of-factly. 

Tobin laughs, setting her half-eaten sandwich aside and letting her legs fall straight out in front of her. Christen traces a scar along Tobin's ankle with her index finger, glancing up to meet her golden eyes. 

“What's this?” 

“I had surgery a few years back,” Tobin explains. 

Christen drops her hand to the floor, not looking away from Tobin. “Was it scary? I mean, were you worried about your career?” 

Tobin nods, taking another drink from her water bottle. “Yeah, it's always scary. Thankfully I rehabbed okay and got to keep going.”

Christen is quiet then, thinking to herself about how hard it must be to fight against your body that way, trying to get it back to a point of basic functioning, let alone to the point of fitness that she's sure Tobin must meet. Her admiration for Tobin grows, then, as she traces the scar once more, this time leaving her hand to rest on Tobin's shin. 

“Don't get hurt again,” Christen warns her, wagging a finger at Tobin who laughs as she finishes chewing a bite of her food. 

“Yes ma’am,” Tobin replies dutifully. The warmth of Christen's hand on her lower leg seems to spread, warming Tobin's whole body, just like the hand on her shoulder during one of her first encounters with Christen in the next room over. She bites her bottom lip and drops her eyes. 

Christen drops her hand from Tobin's toned leg, instead pressing her palm onto the floor and pulling herself closer to Tobin, whose eyes meet her own again. “I just want to try something,” Christen says quietly. “Think of it as a new hobby for me,” she adds with a sly grin. 

Before Tobin can respond, Christen is close enough for Tobin to hear her breath, and she tucks some of the soccer player’s messy hair behind each of her ears before leaning closer to press her lips against Tobin's. Suddenly, the warmth Tobin felt earlier multiplies and spreads throughout her entire body. She leans her head toward Christen's a little, kissing her back. Tobin is amazed by how soft Christen's lips feel against her own, and she sways a little as Christen pulls away, sitting back onto her heels. 

Tobin exhales softly as she realizes she must have held her breath as they kissed. She peels her eyes open and looks at the girl next to her, her lips forming a smile across her face. “Not a bad hobby,” she comments, causing Christen to blush. 

Tobin suddenly realizes that she has no idea how much time has passed. “Wait, I'm sorry, what time is it?” she asks, hating to end the moment this way. 

Christen glances at the small watch face around her wrist. “Nearly 4 o’clock,” she responds, watching Tobin's face hesitantly. 

“Oh man,” Tobin sighs. “I've gotta go. I have a dinner meeting with one of the new sponsors for the team and I have to get ready and -” 

Christen cuts off Tobin's panicked rambling with another quick kiss on her lips. She giggles as Tobin hums happily against her lips this time. 

“It's okay, Tobin. Go do what you need to do!” 

The two gather up the food containers and yoga mats, and Christen waves Tobin off when she tries to begin carrying things out of the studio. “Stop, I got this. You have important places to be,” she reminds Tobin. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Christen says earnestly. “No big deal,” she adds with a smile. 

“Okay, if you're sure,” Tobin responds, slowly walking toward the exit. “I'll talk to you later, yeah?” 

“I would hope so,” Christen says sweetly. She returns Tobin's goodbye as she finishes cleaning up, happy for a moment of solitude to process her afternoon.

**…**

The next day, in the late afternoon, Kelley pops up in the lobby of the yoga studio, much to Christen’s surprise. “Hi, Chris!”

At the sound of her name, the dark-haired girl looks up from her phone where it sits on the front desk. “What are you doing here?” she asks skeptically, taking in Kelley’s leggings, Under Armour tank top, and high ponytail. “You’re not…” she adds. 

“Oh hell yes I am! Sign me up,” Kelley says with a grin. “But I did just get out of a long morning practice, so take it easy on me, will ya?”

Christen laughs softly, still in disbelief. “Kel, you used to mock me for doing yoga in our room in college. You’re seriously here to take a class?” 

“Yes and don’t make me second-guess myself!” 

“Alright, alright,” Christen responds, tossing her hands up in front of her chest, palms facing Kelley. “Hold on a sec and I’ll get you the list.” Instead of reaching for the laminated sheet, which Erin calls their “menu,” Christen goes back to her phone momentarily, finishing the text she was typing when Kelley came in. 

_I never thanked you for yesterday_ , she sends. _It really made my day :)_

“I want one with you,” Kelley insists, leaning her elbows on the desk. “Hey, tell _me_ about you and Tobs instead of texting her,” she adds, swatting at Christen’s wrist. 

Christen exhales through her nostrils, struggling to keep up with Kelley. “Pick a class first, then we’ll talk,” she commands, placing the list in front of her friend. 

Kelley scans her eyes over the words for a few seconds before her index finger lands on one line. “This one,” she says with resolve. 

“Kel, that’s my last class today. Are you sure you don’t want to -” 

“I came here to hang out with you and watch you do your thing! Stop trying to get rid of me,” Kelley defends, pouting her lip out jokingly. “You got to see me play without me even knowing you were there. C’mon, Chris.” 

“No, no, it’s fine! There’s a spot open tonight, so I’ll put you in,” Christen says quickly, trying to reassure her friend. 

“Perfect. How long do we have?”

“About an hour… Why?” Christen asks, eyebrow twitching up at Kelley. 

Kelley doesn’t respond as she cranes her neck to look around the corner, down the hallway. “Are you the only one here?” 

“No, Erin’s here, and a couple of the others are teaching -” Christen begins. 

“Great! Go for a walk with me! You can fill me in,” Kelley exclaims, tugging at Christen’s hand across the desk. 

Christen eyes her before letting out a quick sigh. “Okay, fine. Just let me tell Erin really quick,” she says, walking around the desk and disappearing down the hall. 

Moments later, Christen returns to the lobby area, scrolling through her phone as she walks. She reads Tobin’s response as she slips out the front door that Kelley is holding open. 

Tobin: _Mine too :) Hope today is okay even without me around to make your day_

Christen smiles to herself, setting her phone aside to slip her sandals on. 

“I wish I could be barefoot at work,” Kelley mumbles, pacing impatiently across the porch. “Heck, Tobin is barefoot at work whenever she gets the chance,” she jokes. 

Christen smirks in response, leading Kelley down the stairs, phone in hand. Kelley loops her forearm through Christen’s elbow, matching her steps as they turn toward the beach. “Are you gonna talk or am I gonna have to interrogate you like a detective?” Kelley asks, lightly elbowing Christen’s side as they walk. 

“What do you want me to say, Kel?”

“Well, what I really want to hear is that you guys are madly in love _and_ that I get to be your flower girl and maid of honor, buuuttt if you’re not quite hearing the wedding bells yet, that’s okay, I guess,” Kelley jokes, shrugging as she grins at her friend. 

Christen laughs. “You’re too much…” she trails off, quiet as she watches small waves tumble onto the sand near their feet. “I mean, I wouldn’t say ‘madly in love,’” she adds, looking at Kelley with a half-smile. “But I definitely feel something.”

“You’re killing me!” Kelley shouts, stopping to pat her hand over the left side of her chest. “My heart can’t take this!” she continues, ever the drama queen. 

“Oh, stop,” Christen says, blushing a little as she bumps her shoulder against Kelley’s, their arms still linked together. “I don’t know what Tobin would say if you asked her, though,” Christen mentions, eyes falling down to her feet as they continue walking. 

“Want me to ask her?!” Kelley skips a couple of steps excitedly, pulling Christen along. 

“No! We’re big girls, Kel. We can handle this,” Christen says, shaking her head adamantly. “It’s just… She can be so quiet sometimes, you know? And it’s never, like, awkward. In fact, the quiet is nice. But… I don’t know, maybe I’m overthinking it,” Christen struggles to complete her sentences as she thinks out loud at her friend. 

“Hey,” Kelley says softly, turning to meet Christen’s eyes. “Be patient with her, ‘kay? I think she has a tough time letting herself feel her feelings, ya know?” Kelley shrugs, unhooking her arm from Christen’s to smooth back her stray own hairs that had been blown loose by the breeze. “She’ll come around,” she reassures Christen. 

“You think so?” Christen asks softly, remembering Tobin's heartbreaking story from a few weeks ago. 

Kelley nods and smiles. “For you? Duh,” she adds. 

“I kissed her yesterday,” Christen mumbles, running her words together quickly so that maybe her friend won't hear her. 

“You _what_?!” Kelley exclaims, excitement growing again. Her eyes widen as she waits for Christen to tell her more. “Chris, you were never the one to make the first move! Good for you!” she says, holding her hand up for a high-five, which Christen ignores, blushing again. 

“We were in the yoga studio and she told me about her injuries and I just started to realize how amazing she is and then I kissed her,” she rambles, avoiding Kelley’s stare. 

“Oh my God, I can’t believe she didn’t tell me this morning!” 

“Kelley, don’t bring it up!” Christen begs her. “Just let it be.” 

Kelley responds with a glint in her eye. “No worries, Chris,” is all she says as they turn back toward the studio.

**…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? :) Your comments are so encouraging!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another! 
> 
> Also, just in case you guys are wondering, I'm deliberately leaving out details here and there, about soccer, scheduling, where they live, etc. Keep in mind that this is an AU very loosely based on reality. :) Plus, the details aren't what you came here for anyway, right?

Two nights after her afternoon with Christen at the yoga studio, Tobin is sprawled across one of the two couches in the living room, Allie on the other. They’re half-watching some action-filled reality show, passing a package of Oreos back and forth.

“Tobs?” Allie asks, separating two cookies from the filling between them. 

“Hmm?” Tobin responds, mouth full. 

“What do you want for your birthday?” Allie continues, popping one half of the Oreo into her mouth. 

Tobin snorts as she swallows and passes the package back to Allie. “I hadn’t thought about it, I guess. It’s like a month away, you know.”

“I mean, like, should I plan something? Should we plan something, like me and Kels? Alex? Wait! Do we have a game on your birthday?! Shit…” Allie rambles, mostly mumbling to herself. Tobin watches her, amused, as Allie reaches for her phone to look at their schedule. 

“Oh, good, game day is the day before. Perfect,” Allie says finally with a sigh of relief. 

Tobin shrugs, scrolling through her own phone. She re-watches the video of Morena that Christen sent earlier, feeling her throat tighten slightly at the sound of Christen’s voice in the background, baby-talking at the dog to get her to look at the camera. 

“Do you think Christen will still be, uh, _around_ by then?” Allie asks cautiously, trying not to pry. She’s already scolded Kelley for doing that twice in the past two days as she whined at Tobin for not sharing enough details. 

Tobin drops her phone onto her chest, looking over at Allie. “I mean, let’s not jinx it, but I sure hope so,” she replies quietly, smiling at the thought of spending her birthday with Christen. 

“I can’t plan anything until I knoooow,” Allie whines. “Listen, I know I’ve been preaching about minding our own business in this house lately,” she begins, referring to her talks with Kelley. “But I really need you to like, make this thing official or whatever, for the sake of your birthday,” Allie finishes, her hands gesturing at Tobin with a halved Oreo in each. 

“I’ll keep you posted, promise,” Tobin reassures the blonde with a chuckle. “Be patient.”

“Fine,” Allie sighs, mockingly dramatic. She grins at Tobin before pushing herself up to her feet from the couch. “I’m going to bed, Tobs.” 

“It’s not even 10 o’clock, grandma,” Tobin teases. 

“Whatever, you party animal. Get some sleep soon. We have two games this week, remember?”

Tobin grumbles to herself at the reminder as Allie retreats to her bedroom. Two games in seven days, both on Sundays, means she’ll have very little time to spend with Christen. She’s already warned Christen that between the games, practices, and traveling to and from their upcoming away game, her schedule is pretty packed.

 _I’ll miss you, but I can be patient :)_ , Christen’s message had stated in response to Tobin’s warning earlier that day. Tobin recalls asking herself what she had done to deserve Christen, always amazed by her easygoing kindness.

**…**

The next morning, Tobin is awoken by an alarm that goes off too early for her liking. She drags herself out of bed, pulls on some shorts and a zip-up, and heads downstairs, full backpack slung over her shoulder. She walks through the kitchen, pausing to pour herself a mug of coffee from the pot Allie must have brewed earlier. Then, Tobin notices a folded piece of paper lying on the counter. She picks it up and opens the paper, eyes scanning over the handwriting on the inside.

_Tobin,_  
_I thought you could use a good luck charm, so I brought you this. I can’t wait to hear about your game! Break a leg (but please don’t)._  
_-Christen AKA your #1 fan_

Tobin smiles to herself as she picks up Christen’s homemade t-shirt, the one she wore to their home opener. She brings it to her face and inhales, eyes closing with content as her nostrils pick up the smell of Christen. She drapes the shirt over her arm, reading Christen’s note one last time as Allie finally enters the kitchen. 

“Oh, she dropped that off yesterday while you were out skating. Sorry I forgot to tell you,” Allie explains, still tugging her shoes on as she walks. 

Tobin tucks the shirt into her backpack and slips the note into her pocket, and takes a few gulps of her lukewarm coffee, still smiling. “Ready?” she asks Allie. 

“Yep! Wait, where’s Kelley?”

“I’m here, I’m here,” Kelley grumbles as she shuffles into the kitchen, hair unbrushed and clothes disheveled. 

“Kels, did you sleep in those clothes?” Allie asks with a smirk. 

“Maybe,” Kelley retorts, taking Tobin’s half-empty mug from her and emptying it in three gulps. “Okay, let’s go,” she adds with a sharp exhale as Tobin rolls her eyes. . 

The three file out the front door with their various bags, piling into Allie’s car so they can meet their teammates at the athletic complex, where they’ll leave together for the airport. Sitting in Allie’s passenger seat, Tobin opens her phone and types a message to Christen. 

_Thanks for the good luck charm. Wish I could have the real thing cheering in the stands tomorrow instead!_

Christen responds before Tobin can put her phone away, and Tobin is almost surprised until she remembers what a morning person Christen is. 

_You know I’ll still be cheering for you, no matter how far away you are. You got this :)_

Tobin responds with a string of smiling emojis before pocketing her phone as Allie pulls into a parking spot near the doors of the complex. Tobin takes a deep breath, promising herself that she’ll focus for the rest of the weekend and through the game, no matter how much she would rather daydream about Christen. She follows her teammates inside, mentally repeating Christen’s reassuring words to herself, trying to both get her head in the game and to soothe her nerves as she feels herself falling for the dark-haired girl with the big smile. _You got this._

**…**

Tobin wakes up late on Monday morning, groggy after traveling and getting home late following their afternoon away game the day before. She’s still weighed down by their loss, unable to stop re-playing the team’s mistakes in her head. She kicks the blankets off of her body and rolls up to a seated position, legs dangling over the side of her bed.

“What?” she mumbles sleepily to herself as she notices some white fabric peeking out from underneath her pillow. She tugs on it, revealing her “good luck charm” from Christen. Tobin shakes her head at herself, realizing she must have fallen into bed clutching the t-shirt in a jet-lagged daze last night. 

Tobin checks the time on her phone screen. It’s just after 11 o’clock and she feels her stomach growl. She decides that she can’t let herself laze around the house today, especially not after yesterday’s scoreless game. She changes into shorts and a tank top and heads downstairs, grabbing some sunglasses and her longboard on her way out the door, headed toward the first coffee shop she can find.

**…**

“I don’t know! We’re taking it slow, I guess,” Christen defends with exasperation, holding the phone away from her ear for a moment to tuck her hair behind her ear.

“Why? Hasn’t it been like a month or more? What’s the deal? Oooh, are you her first girl?” her older sister asks from the other end of the line. 

“No,” Christen exhales. “Far from it, I think.” 

“Well, she’s good, right? She’s nice at least?”

“Of course she is. She’s awesome, actually,” Christen responds, walking circles in the staff room of the yoga studio. “She’s really great…” she adds, words trailing off. 

“What does she do again?” Christen hears Tyler ask, but she’s too startled to respond when she hears someone clear their throat in the doorway. 

Christen turns to see who’s there, grinning when she sees Tobin shyly leaning against the door frame, a coffee cup in each hand. “Ty, I’ll talk to you later,” she says into her phone, ending the call with a tap of her thumb seconds later. 

“Hi,” Tobin says with a smile, finally walking into the room. She passes one of the cups to Christen, who takes it and immediately sets it down on the table in the center of the room. 

“What a surprise,” Christen comments, still beaming at Tobin. She takes a few steps to move closer to the girl, leaning forward to greet Tobin with a quick kiss, careful not to bump into the cup of coffee Tobin still holds. Tobin gently grips Christen’s elbow with her free hand, holding her there to ensure their kiss lasts a moment longer. 

The dark-haired girl slowly pulls away, giggling softly at Tobin who keeps her eyes closed, lingering in the moment. She kisses Tobin’s cheek before stepping back to pick up her own coffee, taking a cautious sip through the plastic lid. 

“I didn’t mean to interrupt your break,” Tobin apologizes, shifting her weight nervously. “I just needed to get out of the house today.” 

“Hey, I’m happy to see you,” Christen reassures her, reaching her hand toward Tobin to link their fingers. “Come sit. I have a while,” she explains as she gently tugs Tobin toward the couch along the back wall of the small room. 

“Your game didn’t go like you wanted, huh?” Christen asks quietly as Tobin sits facing her, folding her tan legs into a criss-cross on the couch, mimicking Christen’s. 

The soccer player responds with a shrug and a groan as she sips her coffee. “Gotta move on,” Tobin says finally. “We have another home game this Sunday.” 

“You’ll be pretty busy this week, then?”

Tobin nods, maintaining eye contact with Christen as she tries to read her facial expression. _She misses me?_ , Tobin muses internally. 

“I won’t be able to come to your game,” Christen adds, a hint of disappointment sneaking into her tone. She crinkles her face into a frown at Tobin. 

“That’s okay. I know Sundays are booked for you. Don’t worry, I’ll manage with the typical home crowd, minus my personal cheerleader,” Tobin jokes, earning a giggle from Christen. 

“I’ll make it up to you when you win,” the dark-haired girl promises as she sets her empty coffee cup on the floor next to the couch. Her hands fall into her lap, fingers grazing Tobin’s calves as she realizes how close to each other they’re sitting. Christen makes a conscious effort to still her hands, keeping them to herself, trying not to overwhelm Tobin with how touchy she can sometimes be. 

When Christen finally looks up from her lap, snapping out of her thoughts, she smiles as she realizes that Tobin has been watching her with a smile of her own. Tobin reaches for Christen’s hand, sliding her fingers through Christen’s and giving them a reassuring squeeze.

“Who were you talking to when I came in?” Tobin asks casually. “If that’s not too -” 

“Just Tyler, my sister,” Christen answers, interrupting Tobin. She bites her lip, suddenly self-conscious at the thought that Tobin may have heard part of her conversation about the soccer player. Christen’s eyes drop to her lap, watching Tobin’s thumb stroke the back of her own hand. “I told her about you, if that’s okay,” the dark-haired girl mumbles, feeling her cheeks redden. 

“As long as you only said nice things,” Tobin says, laughing softly. She watches Christen, admiring how cute she is when she’s embarrassed. 

“Of course I did!” Christen says quickly and with concern in her voice, her gaze snapping up to meet Tobin’s. Then she laughs, realizing that Tobin was only teasing. Just as her laugh subsides, Tobin leans forward and presses her lips to Christen’s, brushing her free hand along Christen’s jaw and cheek as they kiss. Their lips break apart, and Tobin quickly presses several gentle pecks to Christen’s mouth, feeling her smile against her kisses. 

Christen untangles their fingers and loops her arms around Tobin’s neck, allowing her head to fall onto Tobin’s shoulder. “I have to go get ready for a class,” Christen says, voice barely above a whisper as her breath tickles Tobin’s neck and ear. She leans back, then, looking at Tobin as she talks. “Thank you for the surprise visit, though,” Christen adds with a wide smile. 

Tobin kisses her again in response. “Have a good class,” she says as she pulls back, uncurling her legs and letting them fall over the edge of the couch. Tobin pushes herself up to her feet, offering a hand to Christen, who takes it with a smile and pulls herself up. 

Christen gathers their empty coffee cups and drops them into the trash can at the end of the couch before taking a few steps toward the door, eyes on Tobin. “I’ll see you soon, right? When you get a break from being a soccer superstar, of course,” she says to Tobin, eyes crinkling as she smiles. 

“Definitely,” Tobin confirms as they walk through the doorway and into the hall. Tobin gives Christen a grin before she turns to walk down the hallway toward the lobby where she left her longboard. 

“Wait, you forgot this!” Christen calls after her, taking a few quick steps to catch up with Tobin before she turns the corner into the lobby. Tobin turns on her heel and opens her mouth to speak, only to be silenced by Christen’s lips on hers once more. The kiss is quick and gentle, and Christen giggles as Tobin exhales the breath she’d been holding when the dark-haired girl caught her off guard. “See you later!” Christen repeats, waving as she turns to retreat back toward the studios. 

Tobin picks up her board and exits onto the porch, head swimming and heart nearly racing as she replays the last few minutes over and over in her head. She chews her lip through a smile and drops her board at the bottom of the steps, placing one foot onto it and starting the ride toward home.

**…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...now that's what you came here for, I hope! I love your comments so keep them coming, if you want. Next chapters are coming up.


	11. Chapter 11

Tobin nods and laughs at all the right times as Alex drives her home from practice two days later. Her body is tired and sore, despite the ice baths she was forced into yesterday and today. She’s grateful to have tomorrow morning off, with only a team meeting in the afternoon. Her thoughts are elsewhere though, away from soccer and certainly away from whatever Alex is talking about -- Servando, Tobin guesses, and something he did or bought for her recently. 

Suddenly, Alex smacks Tobin’s knee with her hand, making a frustrated face at her best friend as she brakes at a stop sign in Tobin’s neighborhood. “Excuse me, daydream queen,” Alex says, shaking her head at Tobin. “I _said_ , what are you doing tonight?”

Tobin blinks herself back to reality. “Nothing, I guess. Recovery and -” she starts, shrugging at Alex as the car begins to move again. Before Tobin can finish her sentence, her phone vibrates in her palm. She lifts it to her face and opens the message that just buzzed in. 

Christen: _I know you’re swamped this week, and you can say no if you want to but - Come over for dinner tonight? I could use some company. I’ll cook for you!_

Tobin’s stomach fills with butterflies as her head swims with images of having dinner alone with Christen, watching her cook for the two of them, hearing her laugh as Tobin tries to keep a conversation going when she’d rather just kiss the dark-haired girl. She’s about to start typing a response when Alex clears her throat. Tobin looks up and realizes they’re parked in her driveway. She glances at Alex apologetically, feeling a little guilty for tuning her best friend out so much. 

“Sorry,” Tobin mumbles, gathering her things from the space around her feet. She looks Alex in the eye, her hand settling on the handle of the car door. “Let’s have best friend night soon?” 

Alex narrows her eyes at Tobin for a moment, trying to be upset, but her face softens after a moment. She smiles, knowing she should just be happy for her friend. They could both benefit from a night in with each other though. “Okay, but after the game,” she responds, ruffling Tobin’s hair on the top of her head. 

“Deal,” Tobin says, opening the door and pulling herself out of the car. “Bye, Al,” she adds as she reaches in to grab her backpack and flip flops from the floor in front of the passenger seat. She walks with quick, light steps across the hot pavement of her driveway, bare feet stinging as she approaches the porch. 

Once inside, Tobin drops her things by the door and falls backward onto the nearest couch, propping her feet up on the wide coffee table in front of her. She reopens her conversation with Christen to respond. 

_I’d love that. What time?_

Christen: _How’s 6:30? You can meet me at the studio after my evening class. Don’t worry, I’ll have you home by curfew ;)_

_See you then_ , Tobin sends, punctuating the message with a grinning emoji. She checks the time before setting her phone aside, noting that she has a little over two hours until then, including the time it takes her to longboard to the yoga studio. 

Just as Tobin stands up from the couch, having decided to go take a shower, Kelley’s head pops up from behind the furniture and she shouts at Tobin to scare her. It works, of course, and Tobin screams, falling back onto the couch as Kelley doubles over with laughter. 

“Kelley, why?!” Tobin groans, her heart still racing. She can’t help but laugh a little with her roommate. 

“‘Cause I loooove you,” Kelley sing-songs, leaning over the back of the couch to tousle Tobin’s hair. “Also you’re more fun to scare than Allie,” she adds matter-of-factly. 

Tobin exhales, rolling her eyes at Kelley. “You need a new hobby, Kels. Now let me go shower, and don’t you dare pop up in the bathroom!” 

“Thanks for the idea!” the freckle-faced girl calls out to Tobin’s back as she retreats.

**…**

“Bye, have a great night! Thanks for coming,” Christen rambles off parting words, leaning her back against the tall front desk in the studio’s lobby. She waves as the last few people file out of the studio. She has just turned around to walk down the hall and gather her things when a pair of strong, lanky arms wrap around her waist all at once. She squeals, surprised by the contact, craning her neck around to confirm her suspicion. Her eyes meet Tobin’s and she grins, tilting her chin to plant a kiss on Tobin’s lips before wiggling loose from the soccer player’s grip.

“You’re sneaky,” Christen comments, eyes still crinkled by her smile. “Let me turn off the lights and grab my stuff, okay?” 

“Yep,” Tobin responds, following her down the hallway. She allows her eyes to wander over Christen as she watches her flip light switches in the studios and in the meditation room before she disappears into the staff room where she stores her bag. Tobin chews her bottom lip while mindlessly trailing behind Christen, still in awe of how beautiful she is without even trying, and even after a long day of teaching. Tobin takes Christen’s bag from her, tossing it over her shoulder with a lopsided smile. Christen giggles when she catches the other girl staring as she pulls her ponytail out, letting her dark hair fall around her shoulders.

“Let’s go,” Christen says finally, brushing past Tobin to lead her through the doorway and back toward the lobby. Tobin picks up her longboard and pushes the front door open with her back, holding it for Christen, who locks it behind them. 

Tobin follows her to her car at the far edge of the small parking lot where she drops her longboard and Christen’s bag into the backseat. She kicks some stray sand off her flip flops before sliding into the passenger seat. Christen gives her a smile as she turns her keys in the ignition and begins reversing out of her parking spot. 

“Are you hungry? I’m starved,” Christen mentions as she turns onto the road, driving in the opposite direction of Tobin’s house. A yawn escapes Christen’s mouth and Tobin laughs softly at her. 

“You don’t have to cook, you know. We could pick something up if you’re too tired,” Tobin offers. 

“No, no, I’m cooking. I try to cook my own food more often than eating out, so it’s really no big deal,” Christen explains with a smile.

Tobin smirks. “So healthy. I just eat whatever someone brings to me, usually take-out of some variety. My trainers cringe when nutrition comes up.” 

“See? Sounds like you could really benefit from a home-cooked meal. I’m cooking, that settles it,” Christen insists, yawning once more. She glances at Tobin as she brakes at a stoplight, eyes lingering on the midfielder’s face to take in her gently defined cheekbones, tanned skin, and the way her hair falls in soft waves around her face and neck. 

Tobin taps Christen’s knee then, pointing at the traffic light with her other hand to pull Christen out of her admiration and remind her that she’s still driving. The dark-haired girl blushes, turning her attention back to the road. She feels her stomach flutter slightly when she realizes that Tobin has left her hand to linger on her knee where she tapped moments ago. She glances to the passenger seat and sees Tobin looking out the window to her right, not thinking twice about her hand on Christen’s knee, it seems. Christen smiles, mostly to herself, and drops her right hand from the steering wheel, laying it over Tobin’s hand. The brown-eyed girl weaves her fingers through Christen’s without moving her gaze away from the window, and they finish the drive that way, in a happy silence. 

A few minutes later, Christen parks in front of a row of apartment buildings. They exit the vehicle, Tobin grabbing Christen’s bag for her again, and Christen leads her up two flights of outdoor stairs before pausing at a door. She reaches into her bag without removing it from Tobin’s shoulder, stealing a kiss from the soccer player as she does so. Christen unlocks the door to her apartment and slowly opens it, wary of Morena. Tobin follows her inside, greeting the dog as she sets down Christen’s bag. 

“This is it,” Christen says, walking further into her apartment, flipping on a few lights as she goes. Her voice wavers slightly, and she realizes that Tobin is the first person she has brought home in a long time, especially one who she considers anything more than a friend. She tries to suppress her nerves as she flits into her small kitchen and opens the fridge. 

“Wine? Water? Um… tea?” the dark-haired girl rattles off options for Tobin, who is still near the entryway, now sitting on the floor, legs outstretched, playing with and petting Morena. When Tobin doesn’t answer, Christen peers around the edge of the refrigerator to look for her. Her chest tightens a little and she grins when she spots the soccer player with her dog. She watches the two happily, still holding the fridge door open as her eyes fall over Tobin’s biceps as they flex and soften while she plays with Morena. Christen can’t help but fix her gaze on the skin of Tobin’s chest that is left exposed each time her v-neck t-shirt dips with her movements. She exhales sharply and tosses her hair over her shoulder, forcing herself back to preparing dinner. 

“Need help?” Tobin asks a few moments later as she pads into the kitchen to join Christen. Her hair is ruffled and a grin is plastered across her face from her romp with Morena, and Christen can’t resist kissing her lips. She reaches up to smooth Tobin’s hair, locking her eyes on Tobin’s for a moment before she drops her hand and finally answers her question. 

“Only if you really want to,” Christen says with a shrug. “Just keep me company,” she adds, smiling sweetly. 

Tobin hops up onto the counter across from the stove, where Christen busies herself with heating a pan and chopping some vegetables. From where she sits, Tobin can see the living room and a small hallway where she assumes Christen’s bedroom is. She looks around at Christen’s minimalist decor, smiling when she spots a few framed photos of the dark-haired girl with her sisters. Her eyes fall back to the girl in front of her, whose back is still turned toward her, and Tobin shamelessly stares at Christen’s figure, still clad in black yoga leggings and a flowy, nearly-cropped tank top from her day at the studio. Tobin tugs her fingers through her tangled hair and smiles again as Christen begins humming to herself. 

Christen steps away from the stove, finally, and fills a glass with water, bringing it over to Tobin, who takes a quick sip and sets it on the counter by her hip. Christen looks Tobin up and down briefly, noting how attractive she manages to be in jeans that are torn at the knee and a plain black v-neck. 

“What are you making?” Tobin asks, breaking their comfortable silence with a nod toward the stove. 

“Oh, I hope you like chicken stir-fry,” Christen mentions, embarrassed that she had somehow forgotten to ask Tobin before she started cooking. _Come on, Chris_ , she chides herself silently. _You can do better than this!_

“I told you, I’ll eat whatever someone puts in front of me, almost,” Tobin reassures her, reaching out to graze her fingers against Christen’s forearm at her side. Christen moves closer at her touch, taking two steps until the front of her hips are nearly pressed against Tobin’s knees. Tobin parts her legs and pulls the other girl into her by the hand, leaving her knees relaxed against Christen’s upper thighs as her legs dangle off the counter. 

Christen looks up at Tobin through her eyelashes, and she feels her nerves return as Tobin’s golden eyes look back at her. Tobin leans down to kiss her, tensing her knees at Christen’s sides to keep her close. Christen allows her hands to fall onto the tops of Tobin’s thighs, though she starts slightly when one of her fingertips grazes skin left bare by the holes in the soccer player’s jeans. Tobin doesn’t seem to notice as she continues to kiss Christen, relaxing into her with every second. Just as her hands fall onto Christen’s hips, the dark-haired girl gently pulls back, smiling as she does so. 

“Let me check on the food,” she says shyly, slipping away from Tobin to return to the stove. “I’ll come back.” 

Tobin sips her water and coaches herself mentally. _Slow down, Heath. You have to talk, remember?_ Tobin reminds herself of the personal pact she’d made as they drove to Christen’s. She knew it was time for “a talk,” as much as she struggled with those. It felt right. 

Christen turns back toward Tobin then, face a little flushed from the heat at the stove. She fans herself with her hand as she takes the few steps required to cross the kitchen, stopping directly in front of Tobin. She lays one hand on each of Tobin’s knees, fingers grazing exposed skin again. 

“It’s almost ready,” Christen supplies when Tobin doesn’t speak, though she looks like she wants to. 

“I’m sure it’ll be great,” Tobin replies with a smile. She fidgets with her hair as she continues to speak. “Listen, Christen, um, what did you tell your sister earlier? Like, how did you explain…” she trails off, losing the words she had rehearsed. Tobin drops her hands to her lap, catching herself off-guard as her fingers land on Christen’s. 

Christen hesitates before answering, trying to read Tobin’s expression to gauge whether she’s concerned, upset, or simply curious. She clears her throat before answering. 

“I really didn’t,” she begins. “I mean, I didn’t explain. Not in detail anyway. I… I wasn’t sure, um, how to - I didn’t know what the right thing to say was.” 

The dark-haired girl drops her gaze to her hands on Tobin’s knees again and she traces small circles with her thumb over the exposed skin on her right knee. Suddenly, she feels Tobin hook an index finger under her chin to lift it. Her gaze meets Tobin’s again, and she offers a small smile. 

“Let’s figure that out then,” Tobin suggests, returning Christen’s smile. Tobin drops her hands back onto the other girl’s, which leads Christen to feel instantly more comforted. The soccer player speaks again, her voice soft and her eyes gentle as they stare back into a green-grey pair. “What’s the right thing to say? If you could say anything…” 

Christen blushes at Tobin’s forward inquiry, and she’s about to answer when her ears tune back into the sizzling on the stove. “Hold that thought!” she says quickly, bouncing back across the kitchen. She stirs the contents of the hot pan before turning the heat off and replacing the pan’s lid. “Okay, this is ready,” she mumbles. “I’m sorry,” Christen adds as she returns to her spot in front of Tobin. 

“You know what I’d say?” Tobin supplies, returning to her point. “If I could say anything, I mean.”

“What’s that?” Christen says, pushing her hair behind her shoulder and working hard to maintain eye contact with Tobin, whose eyes are wandering as she thinks and speaks. 

“I’d probably say you’re my girlfriend, like, if I had to explain it to someone,” Tobin says matter-of-factly, finally bringing her eyes back to Christen’s. She draws in a breath through her nostrils and it comes in a little more ragged than she expected, which she blames on her nerves. _You said it, you’re done_ , Tobin reassures herself. 

Christen is quiet for a very short moment, then she responds. “That’s exactly what I wanted to say.” Her lips peel back into a wide smile, then, and she watches Tobin exhale, her body relaxing. 

Tobin rubs a hand across her face, trying to wipe away her anxiety. Christen’s heart feels like it’s going to swell out of her chest as she studies Tobin, who now has the most adorable crinkled-eyes grin on her face. She kisses the soccer player’s cheek, allowing her lips to linger for a moment as she feels Tobin’s knees part again to pull her closer. Tobin’s lips find Christen’s, then, and they kiss once more, slowly this time. 

Christen is beaming again by the time they separate, and Tobin laughs softly when she hears her own stomach growl. 

“I guess I have to feed you now, huh?” Christen says with a laugh. She presses one more kiss to Tobin’s lips, murmuring “girlfriend” against them before she separates herself from Tobin again to begin spooning food into bowls for each of them. 

Tobin watches Christen, unable to stop smiling as she repeats the word silently to herself. _Girlfriend_.

**…**

After dinner at Christen's table-for-two situated between her kitchen and living room, Tobin insists upon cleaning up alone so that Christen can take Morena for a quick walk. She's just washing the last few utensils when she hears the front door open and Morena comes scampering in, followed by Christen, who unhooks the dog's leash and hangs it by the door.

Tobin finishes the dishes and turns off the water. She's drying her hands on her jeans, still standing at the sink, when Christen's arms slide around her waist from behind. She feels the dark-haired girl press a kiss to her shoulder blade before she rests her chin on Tobin's shoulder.

"Hey you," Tobin says softly, turning to face Christen. She takes two steps forward, guiding Christen backward until her back is nearly flush with a column of cabinets. "Thanks for dinner," Tobin adds, her voice still quiet and deep. 

Christen responds by kissing Tobin as her arms drape over each of the brown-eyed girl's strong shoulders. Tobin leans into Christen's body, settling her hands on her hips once again. Their kiss continues into another, and another. Soon, they can't tell one kiss from another, and Christen feels herself growing short-of-breath. She pulls back for a moment, opening her eyes to look at her girlfriend. She inhales deeply, and when she exhales, Tobin's eyebrows furrow slightly in concern. 

"I'm fine," Christen reassures her with a smile. She kisses Tobin again, not wanting the moment to end, although she knows she'll have to drive her home soon. 

Tobin brushes the tip of her nose against Christen's as they part again, earning a giggle and a squeeze around her neck from the gorgeous girl in her arms. Tobin lets out a small yawn, suddenly feeling the day catch up with her. She glances at the clock on the microwave near where they stand. Christen follows her eyes and groans, burying her face against Tobin's collarbone. 

"What if I break my promise to have you home early?" Christen mumbles against Tobin's skin, her warm breath giving Tobin butterflies. 

Tobin chuckles. "How did I know this was coming?" She presses her lips to Christen's hair at the crown of her head. 

"I can't take you back _now_ ," Christen whines, lifting her head to pout at Tobin face-to-face. "I just got you," she adds, throwing in a fake sniffle for dramatic effect. 

Tobin laughs again and shakes her head. "I'm not going anywhere, even when you take me home for the night," she promises, kissing Christen's pout. 

"Okay, okay," Christen sighs. "Me either." 

"You what?"

"I'm not going anywhere either," Christen says earnestly, looking Tobin in the eye with the most serious facial expression she's had all night. 

"Good," Tobin says, kissing Christen's forehead. "Now, take me home before I decide I can't leave," she teases, finally releasing her girlfriend from her grip.

**…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's official! Share your excitement with me :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The updates are likely going to slow down over the next several days! I'll keep them coming, though. There's so much that hasn't happened yet!

Tobin snaps a couple of elated selfies on her way to the locker room after their win on Sunday. She's about to send one to Christen when she takes a second look at it, rolling her eyes when spots Alex in the background, photobombing. When she looks up from her phone, Alex is in front of her, giggling at herself.

“Yeah, really funny, Baby Horse,” Tobin says sarcastically. She drapes an arm over her best friend’s shoulders, pulling her in for a half hug. “Proud of you,” she adds with a smile.

“Did you see yourself?!” Kelley squeals as she runs up behind the two just before they step off the pitch and onto the walkway toward the locker rooms. She bounces up and down, her hands pressed into Tobin's and Alex's shoulders. 

Tobin just laughs as Alex thanks the freckle-faced girl. They all approach the locker room together, not separating until they have to walk toward their own lockers. The energy of their teammates in the room is much more positive than last week, thanks to Alex’s late-in-the-game goal. Tobin relishes in the atmosphere until she checks her phone and remembers what day it is. Her stomach sinks. 

Tobin sighs as she changes, struggling mentally to make a decision. _It’s Mother’s Day_ , she insists to herself. _You gotta call her_. 

Her phone buzzes on the bench where she left it, and she pauses in her sports bra and clean shorts to check the message. 

Christen: _So so happy for you! You look like a winner to me :)_

Tobin's cheeks redden a little when she realizes she must have sent the selfie after all. She feels Allie tap the back of her shoulder from her locker space to the left. 

“You coming with me?” Allie asks, holding a hair band between her teeth as she gathers her blonde hair in her hands. 

“No, no, she's all mine tonight,” Alex answers for Tobin, appearing from around the corner to jingle her car keys. “Meet you outside, Tobs.”

Allie shrugs. “Suit yourself. I'll have Kelley to keep myself entertained,” she says teasingly, nodding her head toward their roommate where she stands across the aisle, singing to herself. 

“See you tomorrow,” Tobin confirms, bumping Allie with her hip as she finishes changing. Tobin shuts her locker and makes her way outside where she meets Alex at her car.

**…**

An hour later, Tobin sits outside on the deck of Alex’s house, letting the ocean breeze from one block away dry her freshly-washed hair. She dials her mom, hoping to get the call in before Alex finishes showering herself so that they can move on with their time together. Her mom picks up on the fourth ring.

“Hi, Mom,” Tobin speaks into the phone, pulling her damp hair over one shoulder. “Happy Mother’s Day,” she adds with as much excitement as she can muster through her nerves. She hasn't spoken to her mother in weeks, maybe even a couple of months. 

“Thank you, honey,” she hears her mom respond, her tone unreadable. “How are you doing?”

“I'm good, Mom,” Tobin responds casually. “I'm at Alex’s. We had a game today.”

“How did it go?” Tobin hears her mom moving around, clanking dishes together, clearly not stopping what she's doing to talk to her daughter. 

“We won.”

“That's great, Tobin,” her mother muses, still sounding preoccupied. 

Tobin falls quiet and chews her lip, unsure of what to say now. Unlike she normally does, she hadn't rehearsed this particular conversation in her head beforehand. She'd love to be able to go back to sharing everything with her mom, telling her all about traveling and the people in her life. She'd love to tell her about Christen, who is patient and kind and beautiful, and becomes more important to Tobin everyday. 

“Hello?” her mother asks, tone flat. 

“Hi, sorry. Um, I guess that's all, Mom. I hope you had a good day…” 

“It's been nice. Your dad made -” she begins, but her voice becomes muffled as she moves the phone away from her face to speak to someone present on the other end of the line. Tobin waits, bouncing her knee anxiously. 

“Tobin, I'm sorry, but we’ll have to finish this chat later. Have a good evening, okay?” 

“Okay, Mom. Bye,” she responds, voice shaky. She waits for her mom to end the call before dropping her phone onto her lap. Tobin's face is in her hands when Alex wanders out onto the deck with a towel still wrapped around her head.

“Tobin?” she says gently, dragging another chair over so she can sit facing her best friend. “Hey…” Alex murmurs, gently tugging Tobin’s hands away from her face. Alex's brow furrows and she chews the inside of her cheek as Tobin looks up at her, a few tears leaking from her eyes.

“I can't talk even to my mom on Mother’s Day,” Tobin explains, her throat tightening. She sniffles and Alex slides her hand over Tobin's knee. 

“She's still like that, huh?” 

“It's like she's not listening to me at all. She doesn't even sound happy to be talking to me,” Tobin elaborates, tears falling steadily down her cheeks now. “I just miss her, you know? I wish I hadn't ruined our relationship because it was so good and -” she continues, cut off by a small sob. 

Tobin frantically wipes away her tears, hating that she's crying pathetically during her best friend time with Alex. “I'm sorry, Al. We're supposed to be having fun and I'm blubbering,” she says through another sniffle. 

“Oh stop,” Alex responds, laughing softly. She removes the towel from her head, allowing her damp hair to fall down. She wraps her finger into the corner of the towel and dabs at Tobin's eyes and cheeks, sticking out her tongue when Tobin grumbles at her. 

“I know it sucks, Tobs,” Alex offers, finally sitting back. “But you didn't ruin anything. It's not your fault that they're treating you this way. They still love you, and I know they'll come around.” 

Tobin stares off over Alex’s shoulder, blinking away the last of her tears. She wipes her nose across the back of her hand and exhales sharply. “I just want to feel connected to her again, you know? My dad, too. We used to tell each other so much and now Mom rarely asks how soccer is going, and she definitely doesn’t bring up anything else.” 

“Not to be insensitive while you’re mourning your relationship with your parents that isn’t even lost, but I’d like to bring up that something ‘else’ you’re hinting at,” Alex states, her tone playful as she uses air quotes. She earns a chuckle from Tobin, whose tears have finally stopped altogether. 

“Of course you would,” Tobin says, rolling her eyes, not surprised by Alex’s segue at all. “Feed me, then I’ll talk,” she contends. 

“So demanding,” Alex huffs as she stands up, motioning for Tobin to follow her inside. 

Once in the spacious kitchen, Alex presents Tobin with a bag of chips to snack on while she turns on the oven to bake a pizza. 

“Okay, spill,” Alex says, looking expectantly at Tobin from across the kitchen island. 

Tobin raises her eyebrows briefly, then gives Alex a sly grin as she lifts the bag of chips by the bottom and slowly tips the bag over until it’s upside down, causing chips to gradually drop onto the counter. 

“Tobin Heath!” Alex exclaims with exasperation. She groans and leans across the island to sweep up the chips into her hands as Tobin doubles over with laughter. 

“You said… spill… get it?” Tobin breathes between rounds of giggles.

“You’re impossible,” Alex sighs, crossing her arms and waiting for Tobin to quiet. 

Tobin dabs at the corners of her eyes with her fingertips, wiping away the moisture that came with her laughter. She takes a deep breath and clamps her teeth onto her bottom lip to maintain her composure. “Okay, okay, where were we?” 

“Christen,” Alex supplies, her tone flat as she turns her back to Tobin momentarily to slide the pizza into the oven. 

“We’re together,” Tobin says quickly. She figures it’s best to just cut to the chase with Alex now. 

Alex whips around, her unbrushed hair flying about. “ _What?!_ ” 

Tobin shrugs and pops a few stray chips from the countertop into her mouth. She stares at Alex as she crunches through the chips. 

“Oh, you’re dead! You’ve been holding this back, haven’t you?!” the blue-eyed girl accuses, crossing her arms again. 

“Not on purpose,” Tobin clarifies. She’s being too casual about it all, which infuriates Alex, and that only amuses Tobin. The midfielder wanders over to the refrigerator and opens it, scanning the shelves for a drink. She pulls out a bottle of water and twists the top open, eyeing Alex. 

“Tobin, listen to me. The purpose of having a best friend -- that’s me -- is for the other half of the best friends pairing -- that’s you -- to tell the best friend everything. Or at least the groundbreaking life events! You’re so bad at this whole thing,” Alex explains dramatically. 

“Al, I’m not sure that’s the _only_ reason to have a best friend,” Tobin challenges, thoroughly enjoying this slow burn she has created for Alex. Her phone vibrates in her pocket just as she’s about to continue speaking, and she retrieves it, putting up her index finger to pause their conversation. Alex groans and lightly stomps out of the kitchen as Tobin opens the new message. 

Christen: _Missing you, champ. When can I see you again? It’s been daaays!_

Tobin looks up for a moment, eyes not falling on anything in particular as she counts the days backward in her mind. She hadn’t realized that she’s hardly talked to Christen, let alone seen her, since they had dinner at her apartment four days ago. She quickly taps out a response as Alex reappears, pulling a hairbrush through her still-damp hair. 

Tobin: _Hi! Wow, sorry for sucking at this whole thing. You’re right - days! See you tomorrow?_

Christen: _Yes please :) I’m free after 3. You know where to find me_

Alex clears her throat then, trying to pull Tobin’s attention back to her. Tobin places her phone on the counter and takes a gulp out of her bottle of water. 

“I’m all yours, Al,” she promises, watching Alex slide their pizza out of the oven. Tobin pulls a couple of plates out of the cabinet while Alex searches for the pizza cutter, opening and closing several drawers before she finds it. “Hey,” Tobin says softly, tapping her best friend’s shoulder to get her to stop moving for a moment. 

When Alex looks up, Tobin sees hurt in her eyes and she’s slightly taken aback. “Alex…” 

“I’m sorry if I’m overreacting, but I wish you’d told me,” Alex explains, regretting her reaction when she sees Tobin’s eyes cloud with confusion as her brow furrows with concern. “It’s just… I’m always here for you and I always come to you to talk and you were just complaining earlier that you wish you could tell your parents everything again. Well, here I am and I care so much. Tell _me_.” 

Tobin is silent, watching as Alex cuts the pizza with slightly shaky hands. She swallows, trying to think of what to say. 

“I didn’t think about it that way, Al. I’m sorry, really,” Tobin says, leaning forward to try to make eye contact with Alex. “I just… I was so wrapped up in game day prep, then in my feelings about my parents, which made all of my anxiety about sharing anything personal come flooding back and I… I didn’t think about it affecting you, too.” She holds Alex’s gaze then, her eyebrows still knitted together in concern. 

Alex’s face softens as she processes her best friend’s apology. She reaches across Tobin to pick up the plates, sliding a couple slices of pizza onto each before finally speaking again. 

“It’s okay, Tobs,” she says with a small smile. “It’s fine. I shouldn’t be upset. That doesn’t make anything better for either of us, I guess.” 

Tobin drapes her arm around the other girl’s shoulders, lifting up her plate with her other hand. “Come on, let’s eat and I’ll tell you everything,” she says with a grin.

**…**

The next afternoon, Tobin has Alex drop her off at the yoga studio on her way to an interview about their recent win. It’s only 2 o’clock when she arrives and she knows Christen will just be starting her last class, so Tobin crosses the parking lot and walks onto the beach, finding a spot to sit and pass the time. She scrolls through her social media, which doesn’t kill much time, so Tobin glances across the beach, watching kids try to build sandcastles while a large dog crashes through the water a few yards away. She watches a couple throwing a frisbee back and forth and her thoughts trail off -- to Christen, to her parents, to her last relationship and her lingering emotions about it, and to what she wants for the future.

Tobin checks her phone to see the time, and nearly jumps to her feet when she sees that it’s five minutes after 3 o’clock. She stands and brushes the sand off herself before making her way back to the studio. Once inside, Tobin passes the front desk and wanders toward the studios, unsure of where to find Christen. She glances into each room she passes, finally narrowing her girlfriend’s whereabouts down to the largest studio along the back of the building. As Tobin approaches the doorway, she hears Christen humming to herself. The soccer player pauses just to the side of the doorway, listening for a moment before making herself visible. 

“Hi, I was wondering if you offer private lessons?” Tobin jokes as she walks into the studio, startling Christen a little. 

“How private?” Christen retorts, raising one eyebrow at Tobin as she follows along with her joke. 

Tobin laughs as she makes her way over to where Christen is rolling up a few yoga mats. The dark-haired girl is glistening with sweat, but Tobin loops her arms around her from behind anyway, pressing her lips to the back of Christen’s neck, just above the collar of her t-shirt. Christen hums happily, dropping the mat in her hand and grumbling when it unrolls across the floor. She wants to bend down and fix it, but Tobin is still nuzzling her neck, gently kissing here and there, and Christen can’t imagine separating herself from that. She lays her hands over Tobin’s where they cross at her waist, leaning back into the soccer player. 

“Missed you,” Christen mumbles, resting the back of her head against Tobin’s shoulder. 

Tobin turns her face to the left to kiss Christen’s lips, lingering after they part. She brushes her lips against Christen’s, smiling. “You’re beautiful,” Tobin whispers against Christen’s mouth, tightening her arms around the girl. 

“Uck, but I’m so gross right now,” Christen whines, wriggling in Tobin’s arms until she finally drops them, releasing Christen. 

“Not true,” Tobin argues, stealing a quick kiss from Christen before she steps away to finish tidying the studio. 

“How was best friend time?” Christen asks as she paces across the bamboo floor toward Tobin, having put the mats away already. “Just what you needed?” she guesses with a smile, stopping in front of Tobin and placing one hand on either of her toned shoulders. 

“Mhm,” Tobin mumbles, kissing Christen again. The dark-haired girl begins kneading her fingers into the tops of her girlfriend’s shoulders, smiling when Tobin’s eyelids droop with pleasure. “Also just what I needed,” Tobin adds as Christen squeezes her shoulders once more before dropping her hands. 

“Good,” Christen replies with a smile. “Now, let’s get out of here!”

“Where to?”

“Anywhere with a shower,” Christen quips as she leads Tobin out of the studio, flicking the lights off as they exit. 

“Wanna crash Allie’s and Kel’s movie night?” Tobin offers. “We can go pick up Morena first, if you need to.” 

Christen pauses in the hallway, turning back to grin at Tobin. She tilts her head slightly and fixes her eyes on her girlfriend’s for a moment. “That sounds perfect,” she says softly, still admiring Tobin. After a few more seconds, Christen turns back around and continues into the staff room to grab her things, leaving a dazed Tobin in the hall. 

_This is all perfect_ , Tobin muses internally. She feels more content than she’s felt all week, knowing that she finally gets some time with her girlfriend.

**…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your comments and for sticking with this story! Hang tight while I take a quick break. :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter, finally! Thanks for being so patient, guys. I'll try my best to post another chapter or two before the end of this week, but this is about how often I'll be updating for the next month or so. I'm busy, but this story has so many places to go, so I hope you'll stick with me!

“Where has this week gone?” Christen mutters to herself as she sifts through schedules and forms at the front desk. She checks the time on her phone, hoping she'll be able to finish this work before her morning class. A notification sound interrupts her thoughts. 

Tobin: _Hi gorgeous, busy this afternoon?_

Christen: _I'm not but aren't you? Practice?_

Tobin: _It’s open, remember?_

Christen sighs, disappointed in herself for forgetting that Tobin had already told her about the open practice. She knows Tobin wants her to be there, but there is a lot to be done at the studio to prepare for summer retreats and specials, and Christen has taken on the bulk of that work. She chews her lip as she taps out a reply to her girlfriend. 

_I'm swamped here… I'll do my best but I don't want to promise then disappoint you_

Tobin replies quickly. _You're never disappointing_ is all her message says, punctuated with a smiling emoji. 

Christen sends a smile back to Tobin before placing her phone back on the desk and returning to her paperwork. She tries not to worry about making or missing Tobin's practice, though her morning still passes painfully slow. Her class is full and she's not entirely present, causing her to slip up here and there. _It’s not a big deal_ , Christen recites to herself as she cleans up her studio after the last person leaves. _Tobin gets it. She works all the time, too._

By noon, an hour before Tobin's practice begins, Christen is beyond stressed. One of the two other instructors had to leave early, thereby erasing any hope Christen had of being able to leave herself. She's sitting in the staff room, absentmindedly scrolling through her phone, when an incoming call flashes onto her screen. She takes a deep breath before answering. 

“Hello?” Christen says, her voice a little wary. 

“Chris! Where are you?!” 

“I'm at work, Kels,” she responds monotonously. 

“No, no, you need to be _here_!” replies the bubbly voice on the other end of the line. “You gotta!”

“Kelley, I can't get away from work today. I hoped I could but it's busy and we’re short-staffed…” 

“Listen to me, Chris. This may just be a practice, but your girlfriend plays ten times better when you're there for her. You can't be at our away game, so come to practice. Pleeeeease? Otherwise, I have to deal with Tobin being -”

Christen chews her lip in thought, then quirks an eyebrow as she hears Kelley’s muffled voice speaking to someone else. She's about to ask what's going on, when Kelley speaks again. 

“See you soon, right? Bye, Chris!” 

Christen shakes her head after she hears Kelley hang up. She's not sure what to make of her friend’s pleading, because Tobin seemed fine to her when they talked earlier. Christen tugs at her hair, twisting it around her fingers as she thinks. 

“You don't look very calm, cool, and class-ready,” one of the other instructors, Jess, muses at Christen as she walks into the staff room. “You've just got one more -- pull it together,” she jokes. 

“I'm working on it,” Christen mutters as she pulls herself to her feet. She pauses when the words really hit her. “Wait, one more? What about making up tonight's classes?”

Jess looks Christen up and down and chuckles at her slight panic. “Relax. I've got it,” she says with a shrug. “You need to get out of here.”

“You're the best!” Christen exclaims, suddenly more peppy. She grins and turns to head toward her studio. She texts Kelley as she walks down the hall. 

_Can I be late? That’s the only way_

Kelley responds quickly with an excited _YES_ , followed by a string of emojis. 

Christen smiles to herself, glad to know she won't have to let Tobin down after all. She sends Kelley one last message, to which she doesn't expect a response the team is probably getting ready by now. 

_Don't tell Tobin I'm coming!_

**…**

Christen jogs from her car to the entrance of the athletic complex, hair whipping around her face. It's 1:35 when she makes it to the home side bleachers above the pitch, and she slows her strides as she scans the rows for a seat. She bounces down the aisle of stairs to the second row, where she slides in front of a few fans to take the empty seat near them.

Finally, as she ties her hair up into a ponytail, Christen raises her gaze to the field in front of her. She has caught her breath from her rush into the complex, but her heart races still when she spots the lanky midfielder with her tangled hair twisted into a half-bun. Christen's eyes are glued to Tobin as she paces through drills, high-fiving her teammates as she passes them. The midfielder pauses off to the side to talk to Alex, who points toward the stands where Christen sits. Tobin's face lights up as her eyes land on her girlfriend, beaming at her from her seat. Suddenly, Tobin snaps her head to the left as someone shouts at her from the pitch. She picks up a jog again, continuing with practice, but not without looking toward Christen once more, still grinning. 

Half an hour later, Tobin is barefoot, slowly pacing along the sidelines with Allie and Alex, pausing to talk with fans and take selfies. Christen hovers behind the crowds, scrolling through her phone to avoid looking too eager. She hears her name from the pitch and looks up to see a freckled face bobbing up and down next to Tobin, who is busy signing autographs. 

“You made it!” Kelley calls out as she waves at Christen, motioning for her to move toward them. She pauses for a selfie with a younger girl, signing her soccer ball afterwards, while Christen makes her way down. 

Christen looks up from her feet once she's at the bottom of the stands and she finds herself looking right at Tobin. Her stomach flutters with surprise. 

“Sorry I was late,” the dark-haired girl mumbles. She admires Tobin just below her, who is tan and glistening with sweat, her grin interrupted by stray hairs blown across her face. Throughout the team’s practice, Christen had been captivated by Tobin. First, she had only been focused on Tobin's athleticism, laughing softly to herself in the stands as she watched the midfielder trick her teammates over and over in a scrimmage. Then, as the drills and exercises fell into a pattern, Christen's admiration delved deeper. She had eyed her girlfriend’s physique, watching her lanky, toned body move. She had enjoyed being close enough to catch glimpses of Tobin's face as she played, smiling when Tobin looked proud of herself, and chewing her lip when the midfielder’s expression showed her intensity and focus. Now, Tobin is relaxed and perhaps at her most stunning, Christen thinks. 

Tobin's voice interrupts Christen's thoughts. Her voice is quiet but steady, and her eyes are focused on Christen's. “You're the best,” she says earnestly, giving the dark-haired girl looking down at her a lopsided grin. 

Christen smiles back and leans over the front railing of the bleachers to place a kiss on her girlfriend's cheek. She shamelessly admires Tobin's toned arms as she pulls away, watching Tobin lower herself back to the pitch after pulling up to meet Christen halfway. 

“What's your plan, champ?” Christen asks, still smiling. 

“Uhh,” Tobin mumbles, looking around for her roommates who must've headed inside already. She looks back up to Christen and shrugs. “I don’t have one, really.” 

“You’re off tomorrow, right?” Christen begins, resting her elbows on the railing to lean forward toward Tobin. 

Tobin nods, eyes locked on Christen’s face, scanning over her green-grey eyes and her lips as she waits for Christen to speak again.

“Come home with me,” Christen suggests finally. “I’ll cook again,” she adds with a sly smile, knowing Tobin will agree to a home-cooked meal. 

Tobin taps an index finger against her chin, pretending to consider her girlfriend’s suggestion long and hard. 

“Or -” Christen begins, second-guessing herself. 

“I’ll meet you at your car in 10 minutes,” Tobin says quickly, giving Christen a reassuring smile as she turns toward the locker room.

**…**

Christen frantically tidies her apartment while Tobin showers. She has been busier than usual and hasn’t had time to keep things up at home. She’s placing dirty dishes into the dishwasher when she hears Tobin shuffling toward her down the hallway with Morena’s feet tapping alongside her own. Christen straightens from her crouch over the dishwasher, pushing the door up and closed as she rises. As she turns away toward the refrigerator, Tobin catches her in her arms, squeezing tight.

“Will you hug me now that I’m not gross and sweaty?” Tobin teases, flashing Christen a grin. 

“Hey, I tried to earlier and _you_ stopped _me_ ,” the dark-haired girl responds as she loops her arms over Tobin’s shoulders and laces her fingers together behind her neck. She fidgets with Tobin’s damp hair as she leans her head to rest on her girlfriend’s shoulder. Tobin cranes her neck to press a kiss to Christen’s forehead, and just as she squeezes her arms tighter once more, she hears Christen’s stomach growl. 

“Are you sure you want to cook?” Tobin asks, knowing how long it will take and how hungry they both apparently are. “I’m fine with ordering something…” she adds as she absentmindedly runs her hand over Christen’s hair. 

“But _healthy_ food,” Christen whines against Tobin’s shoulder. Her stomach grumbles again, and Tobin laughs this time. 

“Come here, you,” Tobin insists, guiding Christen toward the living room, where they land on the couch. “Pick something out,” she says, handing her phone to Christen. 

“I pick you instead,” Christen says matter-of-factly, dropping Tobin’s phone onto the floor at her feet. She pushes herself to her knees and places on on either side of Tobin’s thighs, ignoring her stomach in favor of acting on the heart-racing, head-swimming feelings she felt while watching Tobin earlier that day. 

Christen leans down to kiss Tobin, gently resting her hands on either side of her face as their lips meet. Tobin responds immediately, pressing her lips hard against Christen’s as she rests her hands on her hips. Christen drops her hands to her girlfriend’s shoulders, stroking a thumb across her collarbone with one hand while the other entangles itself into her nearly-dry hair at the base of her neck. They continue to kiss, although Tobin’s hands stay put and Christen senses some rigidity in her body beneath her. 

Christen pulls back slowly, nipping at Tobin’s lip as she does. She gazes into her girlfriend’s golden brown eyes, only to notice some hesitation. Now concerned, Christen sits back onto Tobin’s knees, dropping her hands to her sides. 

“Hey,” Tobin offers quietly, moving her head to maintain eye contact. “What is it?”

“You’re tense. Not normal,” Christen observes aloud, as her eyebrows reveal her concern. “I’m sorry,” she adds, suddenly timid. She moves off of Tobin’s lap to sit next to her again. 

“No, don’t be,” Tobin responds quickly. She rubs her hands across her shorts on the tops of her thighs as she finally realizes the nervousness that Christen picked up on minutes ago. 

Still watching her girlfriend, Christen exhales deeply through her nose. “What’s wrong then?” 

Tobin’s eyes wander across the room then, landing everywhere but back on Christen. She too takes a deep breath before speaking. “I guess we have to talk,” she says finally, exhaling sharply once more. 

“Okay, let’s talk,” Christen replies with a more chipper voice. She crosses her legs underneath her on the couch and turns her entire body toward Tobin. “Are questions helpful or not?”

Tobin nods, finally meeting Christen’s eyes with her own again. She chews her bottom lip with anticipation. _You knew this would happen_ , she scolds herself mentally. 

“Okay… Is something wrong?” the dark-haired girl begins, speaking slowly. 

When Tobin nods again, Christen continues. “Is it something new or something old?”

“Old,” Tobin clarifies immediately. “Definitely not new,” she says, hoping to reassure Christen before she worries too much. 

“Good to know. It’s recent, though?”

Another nod leads Christen to another question. “Can you tell me about what happened?” When Tobin hesitates, Christen places a hand on the top of her thigh, and she smiles when Tobin sets hers on top, interlacing their fingers. 

“I need this to be slow,” Tobin mumbles, her voice barely audible to her girlfriend as her eyes remain fixed on their hands. 

“We can do that,” Christen reassures her, nodding slowly as she realizes her suspicions are probably correct. She doesn’t prod with more questions, though. Instead, she stays quiet as Tobin strokes her hand with her thumb, hoping she’ll say more. 

“I let her persuade me into doing everything before I wanted it,” Tobin says finally, eyes still averted. Christen nods again, knowing exactly to whom Tobin is referring. “I wasn’t ready for any of it, I’ve realized. Not for telling my family, not for anything that happened between us. It was always on her schedule, not mine, even though she made it seem different.” 

“Tobin,” Christen begins when she’s sure that her girlfriend has finished speaking. Finally, a pair of gorgeous brown eyes meet Christen’s soft gaze. “I’m glad you told me.” 

Tobin smiles and squeezes Christen’s hand which still lies underneath hers. The green-eyed girl responds by tucking some of Tobin’s hair behind her ear and kissing her cheek gently. “We’re doing this on your schedule, okay? We’ll make yours ours.” 

“You’re sure? Because I can work -” 

“I’m sure. I’m patient,” Christen reassures her, cutting her off. “I just need you to keep talking to me, okay?” 

Tobin nods as she leans over to kiss Christen’s lips, lingering afterward. When Christen hears her own stomach growl another time, she groans. 

“Feed me something, _anything_! I don’t even care what,” Christen whines as she falls backwards into the couch, draping a hand over her forehead dramatically. 

Tobin chuckles and squeezes her girlfriend’s knee as she reaches for her phone. She exhales, finally relaxing. _You can do this after all_ , she reminds herself.

**…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not the most eventful, I know, but let me know if it was worth the wait!


	14. Chapter 14

Tobin is startled when she wakes up on Saturday morning. Her eyes open wide immediately, and she scans the unfamiliar room. Finally, her gaze lands on a yoga mat rolled up in the corner of the room, by the door, and she exhales. Once the realization settles in, though, she panics again.

 _Didn't we just talk about going slow?_ she wonders. Tobin looks down at herself and sees the clothes she put on after her shower yesterday. _Okay, this is good_ , she reassures herself as she swings her legs out of bed. Her feet quickly smack onto the floor, startling her again. Tobin realizes that the bed itself is on the floor, and she shakes her head as she slowly stands up. _Christen can do better than a mattress on the floor_ , she thinks. 

Now oriented with her immediate surroundings, Tobin finally realizes that Christen is not in the room with her. “Shit,” she mumbles, panicking more. She checks her watch as she moves toward the closed bedroom door. It's just after 8:30. 

Tobin inhales the smell of coffee as she makes her way down the hall toward the sound of the television. Morena meets her just as she enters the living room, dancing around her feet with a wagging tail. Christen looks over her shoulder from where she sits on the floor with her back to Tobin, smiling when she sees her girlfriend. 

“Hi,” Tobin mumbles, her voice still sleepy. 

“Morning,” Christen responds, her smile growing wider as she appreciates experiencing Tobin first thing in the morning for the first time. 

Meanwhile, Tobin shuffles over to the couch and falls onto it, curling into the corner with her head resting on the arm. Christen giggles at how childlike the whole sight is. 

“There's coffee,” Christen offers. 

Tobin's eyes are now closed and she only grumbles in response. Christen crawls toward her, sitting up on her knees on the floor so that she is face-to-face with Tobin. She pecks Tobin's nose with her lips and brushes some messy hair away from Tobin's face. 

“Why am I here?” Tobin grumbles into her forearm, where her face is now hidden. 

Christen's eyes widen with surprise at the blunt question. “Um, well, you -”

“Oh, God, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way,” Tobin recovers quickly, lifting her head to look at her girlfriend. “I was just kinda spooked by waking up here after what we talked about.”

Christen nods, her expression showing nothing but understanding. “I was afraid of that, but you were so sleepy after we ate and you fell asleep on the couch and I offered to take you home but you kept saying -”

“‘Sleepover,’ I know. I remember now,” Tobin says, chuckling at herself as she recalls how whiny she had been last night. _Make up your mind, Heath_ , she insists mentally. _Are you really gonna ask for space and taking it slow then beg to stay?_

“It was adorable, if that helps,” Christen murmurs, pulling Tobin's mind back to the present. “You wanted to pick out my pajamas, after insisting that we wear pajamas,” she finishes, grinning at her girlfriend. “I loved it.”

“Maybe we can have more sleepovers,” Tobin responds before she leans over to kiss Christen quickly. 

“Yes, please,” Christen murmurs against Tobin's lips, kissing her again. Christen inhales as they kiss, realizing that Tobin smells more like herself than usual -- like sleep and still like her shower yesterday. 

“Coffee,” Tobin says as Christen sits back onto her heels after their kiss. 

Christen laughs softly, nodding as she gets to her feet. She ruffles Tobin's hair and disappears into the kitchen. 

Tobin takes another deep breath, trying her best to stay calm. _It's fine. Casual and not a big deal. People do this all the time_ , she thinks to herself. “Sleepover,” she mutters aloud, chuckling at herself. 

Christen reappears with a mug in her hand. She sits on the couch next to Tobin and leans against her still curled-up body, passing her the mug.

Tobin sips the coffee, closing her eyes as the warmth travels into her hands and body. She glances down at Christen, who is tracing her fingers over the scars on Tobin's ankle. Tobin remembers the first time Christen did that, sitting on the beach, and she smiles at how long ago that seems, though it's only been some weeks. She leans over to kiss Christen's dark hair, smiling when Christen hums happily against her. 

“I'm happy you stayed,” Christen whispers, snuggling against Tobin's body. 

Tobin sets her coffee mug on the table beside the couch so that she can wrap her arms around her girlfriend's shoulders. Christen is still and quiet, and Tobin smiles to herself when she realizes how quiet her own nerves are. She feels at ease and grateful for Christen's patience and playfulness. 

“Just what I needed,” Tobin mumbles, her breath catching after she says aloud what she only meant to think silently. 

Christen looks up at her, a smile spreading from her eyes to her lips as she tries to read Tobin's face. 

“I don't know what to do, having a day off at the same time as you,” Christen mentions, gently poking Tobin's thigh as she speaks. 

Tobin twists her head around to look out the window behind them. When she sees nothing but sunlight streaming in, she speaks. “I have an idea,” she says with a smile. 

“Nothing too crazy, wild child,” Christen teases, noting the new energy behind Tobin's voice. 

“Nope. Let's go to the beach,” Tobin says, unwrapping her arms from Christen's shoulders and leaning forward to push herself off the couch. Once she's standing, she turns around to look at Christen. “Or is that too crazy for you?” Tobin adds. 

Christen laughs and sticks out her tongue in response before standing up herself. She pecks Tobin's lips and swats at her arm. “Let's go,” she says finally.

**…**

An hour and a half later, Christen is lying on her back, head resting on Tobin’s bag, watching her girlfriend kick a soccer ball back and forth, and up and down. Christen eyes the muscles in Tobin’s legs as they flex and soften with her motions. She notes how easy Tobin makes her tricks look, and she realizes that this must be like therapy for Tobin, who can never quite stay still.

“Why soccer?” Christen wonders aloud, marveling at Tobin still. 

“Why not?” Tobin retorts quietly as she balances the ball on her forehead. When she allows it to fall onto the sand, Tobin looks over at Christen, who returns her glance expectantly. Tobin exhales softly, her shoulders dropping with her breath. She falls onto the sand next to Christen, leaning all the way over to kiss her girlfriend on the forehead. Finally, she speaks again. 

“It’s always felt right,” Tobin says calmly. She’s looking out across the beach now, seemingly unaware that Christen’s eyes are glued to her from where she still lies. 

“What would you be doing if you weren’t playing soccer?” Christen asks, trying again to get a deeper answer from Tobin. 

Tobin is busy tying her hair up into a bun, so she is quiet for a few moments before answering. “I’m not sure because I’m definitely doing what I’m supposed to be doing. It’s always been soccer.”

Christen nods, eyes still fixed on her girlfriend. She pushes herself to sit upright next to Tobin, pulling her hair over her opposite shoulder so it doesn’t interfere with her view. Christen idly wraps a few locks around her fingers while trying to think of another question. She’s intrigued by Tobin and her lack of descriptive, specific answers, but she doesn’t want to interrogate her for fear of making Tobin uncomfortable again. _Don’t be too intense_ , Christen reminds herself.

“Don’t you have something that has always been right? You know, like, you’ve always felt like yourself because of that thing? I don’t know, I don’t have the best words for -” 

Tobin cuts herself off when Christen chuckles. “I do have something,” the green-eyed girl explains, regaining composure. 

“Well?” Tobin asks, turning her body to face Christen, her eyebrows raised in anticipation. 

“I’ve always - oh, boy,” Christen begins as she laughs again. She takes a deep breath before continuing. “Okay. I mean, I don’t have one activity, like you have soccer, that I’ve always had. But I _have_ always felt like myself since I came out to my family,” she finishes finally as she brings her eyes up to meet Tobin’s. “I’ve almost always had that.”

Tobin’s face is unreadable as she processes Christen’s answer. She didn’t expect something so personal to come from her questions, but she’s even more overwhelmed when she realizes that Christen _does_ get how personal soccer is to her, despite her inability to accurately describe that connection. 

Tobin clears her throat as she works up a response. “When?” is all she’s able to utter, still overcome with emotion. 

“I knew when I was a kid,” Christen easily explains. “I sat my parents down when I was seven and told them, ‘Guys, I like girls. _A lot_.’ They had no choice but to take me seriously, I guess, because I was so prepared to answer their questions and insist that I knew myself.” She finishes with another soft laugh at herself and at the memory. 

“So that’s my ‘something.’ I knew what would make me feel free and more like myself, even as a kid, and I went after it,” Christen adds, smiling shyly at her girlfriend. 

“Wow,” Tobin breathes. “That’s something, for sure. And here I am trying to tell you that kicking a ball makes me feel the same way.” 

“It makes sense,” Christen reassures her. “I've always felt free to be myself because I've always gotten to be myself with my family, if with no one else, and you -”

“Feel like myself when I'm on the pitch,” Tobin finishes for her, nodding. “You’ve got it,” she adds, grinning at Christen, who places her hand in Tobin’s, interlacing their fingers. 

Christen beams at Tobin, pleased to have figured her out just a little. _There’s still so much to her_ , Christen ponders to herself, and she can’t wait for what’s to come. Tobin interrupts her thoughts by bringing Christen’s hand to her lips and gently kissing each of her fingers without making eye contact, as if the gesture is done without thinking. 

“Hey, take that to your bedroom!” they hear from down the beach toward the water. Both women snap their heads in that direction, their hands falling to their sides, separated in a panic. 

Tobin rolls her eyes as she realizes the voice they heard belongs to Allie, who’s out for her afternoon jog. Christen relaxes next to her and slowly reaches over to pick up Tobin’s hand again. 

“Good God, Allie,” Tobin mutters as the blonde approaches the couple. She’s slightly breathless and glistening with sweat as she falls onto the sand next to Tobin. 

“You didn’t answer my texts,” Allie says to Tobin, jabbing her knee with her index finger. 

Tobin doesn’t respond. Instead, she picks up her phone from where it sits between her and Christen and opens the messages she wasn’t interested in earlier. 

Allie: _Hi where are you?_  
Allie: _Can we hang?_  
Allie: _Tobin Heath it’s our day off, what could you possibly be doing?_

She also sent a string of randomly-selected emojis in an attempt to get Tobin to notice her messages. Tobin rolls her eyes again and gives Allie an exasperated look. Christen giggles at her girlfriend’s drama. 

“So you came to find me?” Tobin says finally, in response to Allie’s earlier complaint. 

“No, I gave up on you and carried on with my life,” Allie retorts. “You just happened to be here. Anyway, I’m starving. Let me be your third wheel on the lunch date you now have.” 

Tobin glances at Christen, trying to gauge her interest, or lack thereof. Christen shrugs with a smile on her face, giving Tobin the okay. 

“Fine, but it’s on you,” Tobin responds, bumping Allie’s shoulder with her own before pushing herself up off the sand. 

Just as she’s about to pocket her phone, Tobin feels it vibrate in her palm. She opens the message as she waits for Christen to gather their things. 

Allie: _You look super happy!!!_

Tobin wants to roll her eyes again, but as she reads the message a second time, a smile creeps across her lips. Allie notices and winks at her, earning a chuckle from Tobin.

**…**

The team leaves early Sunday morning on the flight to their evening game. Everyone sleeps on the flight and during the brief drive to their hotel, trying to expend as little energy as possible before the game. Tobin sits with Alex the whole time, sleeping on and off with headphones over her ears. She notices that Alex is glued to her phone for the entire drive, and for their short break in the hotel before they head to the athletic complex. Tobin doesn’t think much of it though, guessing that Alex is just messaging Servando, maybe a little more than usual.

Later, following the team’s win, Tobin checks her phone in the locker room. A grin spreads across her face as she scrolls through a string of messages from Christen in which she typed out various reactions to the game that she watched online. She laughs as she reads one message from Christen in which she congratulates Tobin for her “helping” on Alex's goal. Tobin taps out a quick reply to her before she finishes changing. 

_Miss you, my #1 fan. See you tomorrow right?_

Tobin squawks as she pops her head through a clean t-shirt only to see Allie’s face inches from hers. 

“Tick tock on the birthday ideas and wishes, Toby,” Allie reminds her in a sing-songy voice. 

Tobin groans at Allie, swatting her away. Her birthday used to be one of her favorite occasions, as her family has always planned big birthday celebrations for each other, but now Tobin feels that she has less to look forward to. She knows that Allie is dying to make it up to her, like good friends do, but Tobin can’t help but feel disinterested in her birthday altogether. 

“I wish for peace and quiet,” Tobin mutters, sliding her phone into the pocket of her joggers and slipping her headphones over her ears just as Allie is about to argue back. Allie opens her mouth to speak, but Tobin stops her by lifting a finger as she walks out of the locker room toward the bus that will take them back to the hotel for the night. She feels Allie make a face at her back, but she doesn’t bother turning around. 

Tobin takes the steps onto the bus two at a time, walking down the aisle while reading Christen's messages again, knowing Alex will stop her when she gets to their seats. She's right, and she suddenly feels a hand tug her sleeve to the left, indicating to her that she can sit now. Tobin flops down into the aisle seat next to Alex, who slides her headphones back over her ears and slumps against Tobin's shoulder. Tobin leans her head onto Alex's just as she notices a new message from Christen appear at the bottom of their thread. 

_Who's your lucky sleepover partner tonight?_ Christen asks, sending a winking emoji afterward. 

Tobin smiles to herself as she responds, first with, _The one and only Kelley O’Hara_. Then she adds, _Don't worry, both Kelley and I would rather have a sleepover with you._

All Tobin can think about for the rest of her time away is getting back to Christen. She feels guilty, like she’s holding Christen back, and even embarrassed for not being quite ready for the relationship they've begun. Christen deserves so much, and here she is, just giving and giving while Tobin struggles to keep up. Tobin is ready to fix all of that, though. 

That night, Kelley and Tobin are lying in their beds, chatting on and off while Tobin reads and Kelley scrolls through her phone. Kelley has been quiet for a few minutes, so Tobin is startled when she speaks again, having gotten wrapped up in her book. 

“Tobs, Christen used to be my best friend.”

Tobin doesn't respond for a moment, expecting Kelley to continue talking. When she doesn't, Tobin sets her book down and looks pointedly at Kelley, letting her know that she's paying attention. 

“And you're pretty important, too,” Kelley continues, giggling when Tobin raises her eyebrows with surprise in response to Kelley’s vague comment. 

“All I'm saying is that I love you both and I'm happy for you but Tobin, I'm worried about you,” the freckle-faced girl speaks quickly, suddenly a little nervous. 

“Kels, I'm -” Tobin begins, only to be cut off by Kelley's nervous babbling. 

“You just took that last one really hard, you know? And like, Christen is awesome for you I think, but the girl knows what she wants and she's totally ready to -”

“Kelley, stop worrying. We're fine. I'm fine. It's early on and I don't see anything to worry about. Okay? I feel awesome,” Tobin explains, trying to muster up a reassuring smile.

Kelley gives her a skeptical look before responding, her words drawn out with suspicion. “Okay… If you say so. But go easy on the moodiness with her, will ya? She takes stuff personally.”

“I'm not moody,” Tobin argues defensively. 

Kelley laughs a little too loudly, earning an eyeroll from Tobin. Kelley inhales deeply and holds her breath for a moment before exhaling, trying to put an end to her giggles. 

“It’s not funny,” Tobin adds with an exaggerated frown.

“Oh, yes it is,” Kelley breathes, still laughing a little. “But it doesn’t matter. I’m sure you’re both doing great and I’m happy you have her. You need someone like Chris,” she adds, nodding for emphasis. 

Tobin gives Kelley a small smile in response, unsure of what to say. She’s already mentally exhausted all the time from forcing herself to stay open with Christen, so she’s not sure she can handle all of her friends -- especially those she shares with Christen -- being open books as well. 

“Shut off the sappy, Kels,” Tobin whines, flopping backwards onto her pillows. “I mean thanks, but no more. I can’t take it,” she adds, making sure her tone is more playful this time so as to avoid offending Kelley, who clearly cares a lot. 

Kelley responds by whacking Tobin with a pillow as she walks between their beds toward the bathroom. Meanwhile, Tobin pats her hands across the bed until she feels her phone, bringing it toward her face once she finds it. She reads through Christen’s game commentary for a third time, and she feels her stomach flip and twist as a smile appears on her face. Tobin drops her phone onto her chest and closes her eyes, thinking of how differently she feels now than several weeks ago. What once felt overwhelming, like she was in over her head, now feels comfortable and safe. Tobin tries not to allow the latter to faze her too much or else she might panic at the notion of being in another relationship. She knows, though, that this time it doesn’t just _seem_ better -- it actually _is_ , all because of Christen.

**…**

The next day, Monday, Tobin longboards to the yoga studio in the evening to join in on Christen’s final class of the day. _Like ‘old times,’_ Tobin thinks to herself ironically. She had been enjoying taking classes, until her schedule filled up, and during any time she could get with Christen, neither of them wanted to think about their jobs, so they’d chosen other activities. That morning, though, Christen had mentioned her evening class to Tobin, pointing out that there would be one opening and that it could be a great post-game recovery session. Tobin couldn’t argue with that, nor could she imagine waiting much longer to see Christen again.

She picks up her longboard as she glides up to the studio’s front steps, tucking it under her arm as she bounds up to the porch. Tobin kicks off her flip flops and brushes her hair off her face before entering. She hears Christen’s voice coming from around the corner, toward the staff room, so she sets her board aside in the corner and slowly heads down the hallway, trying to decide whether or not she’ll be interrupting Christen if she goes to her. 

“I think that will be perfect!” Tobin hears her girlfriend say. She doesn’t hear another voice, so she assumes that Christen is on the phone. 

“Yeah, I’ve never been, but if it’s your guys’ favorite, then -” Christen continues, cutting herself off when Tobin appears in the doorway. “Hey, I’ve gotta get ready for my last class… Okay, bye!”

Tobin watches Christen tuck her phone into the waistband of her leggings and her eyes get stuck momentarily on her exposed skin. Christen’s voice snaps Tobin out of her brief daze. 

“You’re early,” Christen comments, walking toward Tobin and draping her arms over her shoulders once she’s close enough. 

Tobin’s arms wrap around her girlfriend almost like a reflex, and she kisses Christen quickly before murmuring “Surprise” against her lips. “Sorry for interrupting,” Tobin adds, pulling back so she can look at Christen. She’s curious about Christen’s phone call, especially because she ended it so quickly when Tobin appeared, but she doesn’t want to pry. 

“No big deal,” the dark-haired girl responds nonchalantly. She glances at her watch over Tobin’s shoulder, then slides her arms away and drops them to her sides when she sees the time. “Come on, you,” she says, kissing Tobin’s cheek as she gently pushes her into the hallway toward the studio. 

Tobin and Christen are the last people to enter the studio, and Tobin gives her a small smile when she notices that Christen already placed a mat at the edge of the group for her. Christen speaks to the class and begins teaching, and although Tobin manages to physically follow along just fine, she finds herself more distracted than ever before. First, she can’t stop thinking about the first and second times she found herself in Christen’s classes, with Alex by her side scheming the entire time. Then, Tobin loses herself in Christen’s voice. It’s gentle and steady, lulling Tobin further into her daydream. She continues going through the motions, but she’s already faced the fact that she’s probably not going to get out of this class what she should, physically. 

When Christen begins moving about the room toward the end of the session, offering advice and personalized poses while the participants stretch and breathe individually, Tobin’s eyes follow her. She feels a blush creep up her neck and into her cheeks when Christen catches her staring and winks. 

Finally, Christen makes her way over to Tobin and directs her into child’s pose, pressing her hands onto Tobin’s lower back to help her stretch. Christen dances her fingers across Tobin’s bare skin at the hem of her t-shirt, causing Tobin to twitch and laugh quietly. When she sits up, Tobin’s hair has fallen out of the haphazard bun she made earlier and is in feathery strands around her face, which is tinted pink from both the pose and Christen’s touch. The dark-haired girl grins then bites her bottom lip as she wordlessly admires Tobin’s natural good looks before returning to the front of the group to end the session. 

Minutes later, Christen follows the group out to the lobby to lock the front door behind them before returning to the studio where Tobin is cleaning and rolling up mats. 

“You were supposed to let me help!” Christen chides, planting her hands on her hips as she watches Tobin roll up the final mat. 

Tobin shrugs as a wide smile forms across her face. She sets the mat aside and pulls Christen toward her, wrapping her arms around her once again. Christen fidgets for a moment, and suddenly, music plays from the speakers around the room. Tobin blinks rapidly, a little surprised by the sounds that must be coming from Christen’s phone, which is back in its place under her waistband. 

Christen wriggles out of Tobin’s grip and dances across the room like a giddy child. Tobin watches her and laughs with admiration until Christen circles back to her and latches onto her hand, pulling Tobin along with her. Tobin follows Christen’s lead, allowing her to create movement for both of them. She feels butterflies take over her stomach as Christen laughs a wholesome laugh, her grin lighting up the dimly-lit space. 

“You’re stunning,” Tobin says over the music, smiling at her girlfriend. 

Christen stops moving then, swinging herself back into Tobin and staying there, now still against the soccer player’s body. The music plays on, through a playlist that sounds just like Christen, Tobin notes. 

The two stay mostly still, wrapped up in each other. Christen’s eyes wander over Tobin’s face as she tries to read Tobin’s mood. She barely opens her mouth to speak when Tobin’s lips cover hers. The kiss is long and gentle, but as Tobin’s hands fall onto the small of Christen’s back, the green-eyed girl leans further into her, extending their kiss into another. Tobin tightens her arms around Christen and parts her lips slightly, allowing Christen to kiss her deeper, which leaves Tobin breathless after they finally separate.

“I’ve been waiting for that,” Christen confesses, her voice now much lower and quieter than it was earlier. She brings her eyes to Tobin’s, feeling nervous because of her girlfriend’s lack of speech. 

“Not finished,” Tobin finally utters, immediately pressing her lips back to Christen’s. Tobin kisses her deeply, until her own head is swimming from the feeling of Christen’s mouth on hers and of Christen’s hands tracing Tobin’s back and sides. She separates from the dark-haired girl, kissing her quickly once more before opening her eyes to meet Christen’s clear green gaze. 

Christen’s lips and cheeks are tinted pinker than usual and Tobin is captivated. She stares at the girl in front of her more intensely than she means to, and Christen smiles shyly, tickling her fingers along Tobin’s skin again to get her attention.

“Sleepover?” Christen suggests innocently, still smiling.

Tobin doesn’t hesitate to answer by kissing Christen again, just as deeply as before, but with a smile forming across her lips in the middle this time. 

**. . .**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got the next couple of chapters going already, but you might still have to be a little patient! Let me know what you think. :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pure relationship chapter. You're welcome. ;)

“Ow!” Christen yelps, eyelids springing open. Her hand flies to her forehead for protection as she nudges Tobin’s foot with her own under the sheets.

“Tobin, hey -” Christen’s urgent whisper is interrupted by another flailing arm, which she dodges this time. She watches Tobin’s dreaming face for a moment before sliding across the inches of open space between them until their bodies touch. Christen drapes one arm across Tobin’s ribs, tickling her side to wake her. 

“Tobin,” she repeats, still whispering. Christen smiles as Tobin’s golden eyes flutter open, squinting at the light in the room. “Hi you.” 

“Good morning,” Tobin mumbles sleepily, her words barely audible. She turns onto her side toward Christen and snuggles into her front, hiding her face against Christen’s shoulder and neck. 

“Sorry I woke you up, sleeping beauty,” Christen murmurs, running her fingers through her girlfriend’s tangles. She grins again when she feels Tobin’s lips press against her chin and jaw a couple times. “Yes, kiss my face after smacking me during your dream,” she says with a chuckle. 

Tobin’s kisses come more rapidly, then, scattered across her face, and Christen giggles at her before tilting her head down to kiss Tobin's lips gently. Christen opens her eyes to find a golden-brown pair parallel to her own, still clouded with sleep. Her eyes crinkle into a smile at Tobin, and Christen feels her throat tighten slightly as she takes in her girlfriend's features and enjoys her company. _How did I get so lucky?_ Christen ponders silently. 

Suddenly Tobin kicks the blanket and sheet off of herself, startling Christen out of her admiration. Christen gives her a curious look, not moving from her spot in bed. 

“I'm starving,” Tobin explains, yawning toward the end of her words. She sits up and pushes herself to her feet, tugging at her shorts and t-shirt to straighten them once she's standing. 

Christen suppresses a giggle at Tobin, still lying in bed watching her girlfriend as she ties up her hair and shuffles into the bathroom. “Sorry you’re hungry,” Christen calls out, her early-morning voice crackling a little. “I guess I should’ve let you finish dinner last night.” 

Tobin re-enters the room with a toothbrush in her mouth borrowed from Christen’s spares, which felt to Tobin like an enormous step to take, though Christen reassured her that it was no big deal. She makes a pouty face around the toothbrush at Christen, narrowing her eyes at her allusion to last night. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll make it up to you and your stomach. Let’s go out for breakfast,” Christen concedes through giggles. She finally stands up from her pallet on the floor, calling for Morena, who comes bouncing into the room. Christen greets her, then pauses to stretch her arms above her head before reaching down to her toes. She laughs in surprise when she feels Tobin’s fingers graze the skin exposed by her shifting tank top. Christen pauses halfway into her forward fold to look up at her girlfriend, but Tobin has already left the room, intent on filling her stomach as soon as possible. 

Christen crosses her room to her closet, opening it and pulling out the first things she sees. “Come on, Morena,” she instructs after changing. She sweeps her hair into a ponytail as she walks down the hall, humming softly to herself. She finds Tobin in the kitchen, crunching into an apple in her hand. 

“I couldn't wait,” Tobin mumbles as she chews, shrugging at Christen. 

Christen shakes her head at Tobin as she reaches out to smooth her messy hair. Tobin practically freezes as Christen touches her, still unfamiliar with little gestures like that. She lets her breath out when Christen's hand drops to her side. 

“Breakfast?” Christen reminds her girlfriend. 

“Your choice,” Tobin replies as she walks through the living room, scanning for her flip flops. 

Minutes later, the two are in Christen's car, headed toward the coffee shop they both love. Christen hums and quietly sings along with the radio, smiling her bright smile when Tobin lays her left hand across Christen's thigh in place of holding her hand. 

“You're adorable,” Tobin muses with her eyes glued to the sunny girl next to her. She casually snaps a photo of Christen with her phone, adding it to her collection of Christen's selfies. Tobin chews her lip as she gazes at the picture, and she gently squeezes Christen's thigh, hoping to wordlessly express her feelings about the green-eyed girl.

**…**

“Is this for me?!” Christen squeals, practically bouncing in her seat on the couch in Tobin's living room, where they found themselves after breakfast. Allie pops her head around the corner from the kitchen, eyebrows raised at the volume of Christen's voice.

Tobin nods, grinning as she motions for Christen to flip the garment over to view the back side. Christen glides her fingers over the name and number on the back of the jersey, appreciating the details as if she'd never seen Tobin's name and number before. Finally, she drops the purple top onto her lap and raises her eyes to meet Tobin's with a bright smile across her face. 

“You don't have to wear it if you don't want to, but I thought you might like -” Tobin begins, unsure of what to say when giving gifts to someone who seems to be so grateful for every small thing. She has always been a giving person, like the rest of her family, but Tobin's ex rarely appeared appreciative of her gestures, nor did she make a habit of actually thanking Tobin. Now, with Christen, Tobin is yet again motivated to give and give, just to experience Christen's happiness and thankfulness over and over again. 

“Babe, of course I'll wear it,” Christen says, cutting Tobin off with a wave of her hand, which lands on Tobin's knee. “Thank you,” she adds before leaning forward to kiss the soccer player softly. As they kiss, Christen reflexively slides her hand up Tobin's thigh toward her hip, her fingertips slipping under the hem of Tobin's shorts. 

Tobin feels goosebumps arise across her legs from Christen's touch, and she breaks away from their kiss to meet her favorite pair of green-grey eyes with her own gaze. Christen looks back at Tobin with what she perceives as an apologetic expression, and Tobin's heart sinks a little. She pulls her bottom lip in between her teeth as her brows knit together, still watching Christen. 

“Hey,” Christen murmurs finally. “Don't stress. I'll be more careful, okay? I'm patient, remember? This is all by your rules, on your time.” She gives her girlfriend a reassuring smile, holding her gaze for a long moment before leaning up and forward to kiss Tobin's forehead. 

Tobin responds with a short nod before tugging the jersey out of Christen's cross-legged lap and holding it up to her girlfriend’s front. Finally, she smiles again as she pictures Christen wearing the jersey in the stands. 

“I figured you could be upgraded now from your DIY project shirt,” Tobin teases. A yawn escapes from her lips, which Christen kisses once they’re closed. Tobin leans into her girlfriend’s kiss, allowing her sleepy mind to wander back to the prior evening.

**…**

_“So. Hungry,” Tobin whines, scrunching up her face at Christen when she appears in the doorway after taking Morena for her evening walk._

 _“You could be in the kitchen, at least_ trying _to feed yourself, drama queen,” Christen teases as she clips Morena’s leash off of her collar, releasing the dog into the living room._

 _“Yeah, but I was_ trying _to wait for you.”_

_“You're sweet, but also hangry, and I can't handle that second part,” Christen retorts with a grin as she tugs Tobin by her hand off the couch and into the kitchen._

_Christen doesn't let go of her girlfriend once they're both in the room, though; instead, she pulls Tobin into her, hoping to distract the brown-eyed girl from her empty stomach. Tobin follows along, once again captivated by Christen, who is now tucking Tobin's loose waves behind her ears, holding her gaze. Tobin closes the space between them, practically magnetized toward Christen. Their lips finally meet, and Tobin sighs softy into Christen's kiss._

_Christen slides her arms around Tobin, running her hands over the soccer player’s back as their kiss continues. She couldn't be more pleased that Tobin is here, in her arms, staying the night. Christen is doing her absolute best to stay patient with Tobin, knowing how much she has been through, but the green-eyed girl has already been waiting for so long for someone as perfect as Tobin to come along._ Just enjoy the ride, _Christen has been reminding herself lately._ No need to rush. 

_Tobin separates her lips from Christen's, leaning back slightly to look Christen in the eye. Christen quickly shifts her facial expression at the sight of Tobin's concern, forcing herself out of her mind and back into the moment. She presses a kiss to Tobin's forehead, then onto each cheek, before kissing her lips once again. Tobin's body relaxes in her girlfriend's arms, and she lets her hands settle onto Christen's shoulders, wrapping her dark hair around her fingers. Finally, Tobin allows Christen to kiss her more deeply, smiling against her lips at Christen's palpable satisfaction._

_Christen pulls back after just one kiss as her head wins over her heart in the effort not to overwhelm Tobin. The soccer player kisses her one last time, gently and with appreciation for Christen's consideration, before they untangle from each other completely._

_Grinning unintentionally, Christen finally speaks. “Let's order something, because I don't think I can stand to cook tonight.” She makes a face of mock defeat at Tobin, who giggles at her antics._

_“Your choice, gorgeous,” Tobin replies with a shrug._

_Minutes later, with their order placed, the two find themselves in Christen's bedroom, wrapped up in each other once more. Christen is in the middle of changing into pajamas, after having restrained herself as Tobin also changed, when she feels the soccer player planting innocent kisses across her shoulders from behind. Christen grins, slowly turning herself to face Tobin, still only wearing a sports bra and the sleep shorts she managed to slip into before Tobin made her move._

_Tobin pulls Christen closer, but not so close that their bodies are flush against each other. Christen feels like there is a canyon between them, but she knows her girlfriend is being careful. She quickly reaches up to pull the tank top in her hands over her head, tugging it down her torso as she drops her hands back to her sides. Then Christen closes the space between them, placing cautious kisses against Tobin's lips and grinning against those lips when Tobin hums happily._

_“Are you even real?” Tobin murmurs, nuzzling her nose against Christen's neck below her jaw._

_Christen nods, suddenly speechless and filled with butterflies. She's finally worked up a verbal response when the two are startled by a knock at the front door._

_“Food,” Tobin realizes, suddenly perking up._

_“I'll get it. You grab drinks,” Christen instructs as she disappears from the bedroom._

_The two meet back in the living room, where Christen pulls the coffee table away from the couch so they can sit on the floor. She expects Tobin to sit across from her, so she lays out their food as such. Then she pauses, caught off guard when Tobin settles onto the floor next to her, reaching across the table for her takeout boxes._

_“Of course,” Christen mumbles, smiling to herself. She leans her back against the couch and stretches her legs out straight in front of her before opening her own boxes._

_Christen is lifting a forkful of food to her mouth when Tobin's leg falls on top of her own, causing her butterflies to return. She glances at her girlfriend, who is still quiet, while she chews, considering the move. Christen is unsure whether to ignore or acknowledge Tobin, as she never knows which might be more prone to upset her semi-fragile girlfriend._ Make a decision, Press, _Christen coaches herself, chewing her lip now that her mouth is empty._

_Before Christen can clear her mind, Tobin's left hand lands gently on Christen's nearly-bare thigh, where it rests as Tobin chews and swallows a bite. Her brown eyes graze over Christen's face, looking for a reaction. Tobin can tell that her girlfriend is a little lost in thought, so she idly strokes her soft, tan skin while she watches Christen._

_“Are you okay?” Tobin finally breaks the silence, her voice gentle and cracking a little._

_Christen nods once before speaking. “This is real, right? This - this… Us?”_

_“Yes…” Tobin responds slowly, her voice revealing uncertainty and concern._

_“Okay,” the dark-haired girl breathes. “Okay,” she repeats, earning another look of concern from her girlfriend. Christen draws in a deep breath before she continues speaking, her words falling from her lips more rapidly now._

_“I just want this a lot. I_ really _want this, Tobin. With you. I'm doing my best to be patient and to give you what you need and to show you what it's like to have someone… better. I want that for you. I just want to be sure that -”_

_Tobin cuts her off with a kiss, which Christen is positive is the best kiss they've shared thus far. Christen's breath hitches and she leans into Tobin, who has repositioned herself to be slightly in front of her, presumably for better access to her lips._

_“I want this, too, baby,” Tobin reassures her with a whisper against her lips, which turns into another kiss, and another, and so on until Christen is straddling Tobin's outstretched legs and pulling her bun loose to so that her hair cascades down over her shoulders. Tobin's impulsively weaves her fingers into Christen's mane, pulling her face closer so they can continue kissing. Soon, their food is cold and Christen's once deep-and-passionate kisses become slower and softer as she grows sleepy against Tobin's body._

_Christen allows her head to fall forward onto Tobin's shoulder, and her stomach flutters slightly when she feels Tobin's arms squeeze around her. Her breath tickles Tobin's neck, causing the brown-eyes girl to twitch a little and laugh._

_“Chris, I can't eat like this,” Tobin reminds her with a teasing tone._

_“Shit, I forgot about dinner,” Christen mumbles as she lifts her head. “Oops,” she adds with an innocent shrug at her girlfriend, who just chuckles in response._

_“You're something,” Tobin murmurs an instant later as she watches Christen comb her fingers through her loose hair, the muscles in her toned arms shifting. Meanwhile, Tobin feels Christen tighten her thighs around Tobin's legs to maintain her balance._

_A grin appears across Christen's face, which she simply sits with. She kneads her fingers into Tobin's shoulders while her thoughts wander._ I could get used to this, _she thinks._ I could stay this time. _Christen realizes that Tobin's easy-going demeanor coupled with her desire to take things slower than Christen's used to might be exactly what Christen needs, after years of rushing into relationships only to have them crash and burn._

_“Come back to Earth, Christen,” the dark-haired girl hears. She shakes her head slightly before laughing nervously._

_“Sorry I've been so spacey,” she offers to Tobin._

_“I'm here, you know? To listen…” Tobin replies softly as she brushes her loose hair behind her shoulders._

_“I know. Thank you, gorgeous,” Christen says between the kisses she continues pressing against Tobin's lips. “For now, no talking. Just this.”_

_Christen slides her arms underneath Tobin's and around the midfielder’s back, leaning down and into her body before continuing to kiss her. Christen manages to get through three kisses before a yawn breaks through her lips. Tobin grins as Christen yawns for so long that tears form at the corners of her eyes, which Tobin wipes away with a fingertip._

_“Bed?”_

_Christen nods in response before her head falls back onto Tobin's shoulder in mock defeat._

_“Race you there,” Tobin whispers against Christen's dark hair. She giggles when her favorite grey-green eyes flash up to meet her own, Christen's eyes sparkling a little despite her lack of energy._

_“I get a head start!” Christen replies as she scrambles to her feet, careful not to step on her girlfriend's legs._

_“Says who?” Tobin retorts, but Christen has already bounded out of the room toward the hallway._

_Tobin takes her time, then, closing up their nearly-full takeout boxes and carrying them to the refrigerator before making her way to Christen's bedroom. She draws in and lets out a deep breath as she walks. Her heart flutters when she hears Christen humming to herself and chattering happily at Morena._

_“Guess who's here, Morena? Guess who?” Tobin hears Christen repeating as she steps through the doorway into the bedroom._

_“Finally!” Christen nearly shouts._

_Tobin would be taken aback by her second wave of energy if she didn't find her girlfriend so adorable. She looks around the room with a mock puzzled look on her face, pretending to be unaware of what Christen's talking about, causing the dark-haired girl to giggle more._

_“Come here, you,” Christen requests, patting the bed next to where she is reclined._

_Tobin flops onto the bed with a grin before crawling into what has become her spot on the right side. Christen immediately tugs on the shoulder of Tobin's t-shirt, begging her to move closer. When she does, Christen sighs happily, sinking further into the bed as Tobin fits herself against her girlfriend’s side._

**…**

Now, nearly an hour after Tobin presented Christen with her own jersey, the soccer player is quietly snoring on the couch with her legs stretched across Christen’s lap. She stirs momentarily, stretching an arm out over her hips and wiggling her fingers at Christen, who laughs softly at the gesture. Christen laces her own fingers through Tobin’s, assuming that’s what her girlfriend was reaching for. The dark-haired girl practically stares at Tobin, who looks younger than she is when she’s sleeping. Christen thinks back to their animated conversation over breakfast - one of the first they’ve been able to have considering how busy they both are, even when they’re together - and she smiles to herself.

Christen’s thoughts are interrupted by Kelley, who appeared in the room quietly, much to Christen’s surprise. Kelley bats at Christen’s ponytail as she walks around behind the couch toward the adjacent chair, which she falls into with a sleepy sigh. 

“Hi Kels,” Christen says softly as she watches her friend. 

“Did you sleep like that?” Kelley asks with one raised eyebrow. 

“No, no, we just came over after breakfast.” 

“She gave you a jersey?!” Kelley’s voice is louder now, and Christen shushes her calmly with an amused smile on her face. 

“Yeah, she did. Is that a -” Christen begins, wondering to herself why Kelley would be so excited or surprised. _Is it more than just a jersey?_ Christen considers silently. 

Kelley cuts her off. “Chris, you’re supposed to be giving, not receiving! What about her birthday?” she whisper-shouts, her hands flailing about as she speaks. 

“Well I didn’t ask for it,” Christen defends, laughing softly at her friend. “Plus, I have time to work on that.”

“It has to be good,” Kelley adds emphatically. “She deserves a perfect birthday, for once.”

Christen nods, allowing her gaze to trail over the sleeping figure next to her. “I know she does,” she says finally, smiling. She looks back toward Kelley, but the freckle-faced girl has already gotten to her feet and is on her way toward the kitchen. 

“Anything will be better than last year,” Kelley calls out over her shoulder. 

_What happened last year?_ Christen wonders, her eyebrows furrowing.

**…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Sorry for the slow updates! Thanks for being so awesome and waiting.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new one! It jumps around a little but I hope you like it.

Tobin’s phone buzzes from where it sits on her thigh. She keeps nodding along as Alex’s voice continues to fill the living room, but the details of Alex’s story are lost before they reach Tobin’s ears. She slides a thumb across her phone’s screen to view the incoming message. 

Christen: _Miss you this much_

The message is accompanied by a photo of the dark-haired girl standing barefoot on a yoga mat with her arms stretched out wide, her face glowing with a grin almost as wide. Tobin stares with admiration at the picture until her eyes fall out of focus, causing Christen to become a silhouette with a smile that still appears bright, even through Tobin’s blurry gaze. 

The soccer player’s mind flickers over all the small moments she’s shared with Christen over the last week. The two have been busier than usual with their respective jobs, so on some days, they’ve settled for sharing an evening walk with Morena or a hurried lunch in the yoga studio staff room, and many other fleeting instances which provide the perfect excuse to see each other. Tobin’s eyes re-focus as she types a response to Christen. _Miss you too. Let’s have a real date soon?_

Christen: _Just say when!_

“Tobs, are things getting any better with your family?” Alex inquires from her seat next to Tobin. Her question seems to be out of the blue, but Tobin knows she was probably just zoned out for the relevant piece of Alex's conversation. 

“Uh, no, not really. I mean we don't talk much still…” Tobin fumbles for words, realizing she hasn't tried talking to anyone in her family for a couple of weeks, nor has she really thought about them. _Too wrapped up in Christen_ , she thinks to herself with a smirk. 

“So they don't know about Christen,” Alex concludes, glancing at Tobin for affirmation as she begins casually flipping through a magazine. 

“Nope.” 

“Do you think you want them to? And like, what about her family? Are they cool?” 

“Alex, where's all this coming from?” Tobin asks. 

Alex shrugs before answering. “Just thinking of you. I worry. I know how tough it's been for you and like, here you are going through it again, you know? And you're not talking about it... I just want to make sure you're okay.”

Tobin is quiet for a moment as she negotiates her feelings into a response. She likes having friends around her who are so aware and caring, but she struggles not to be offended by their concern and interventions. She may not be the most open about how she's feeling or anything of the sort, but that doesn't mean she can't handle things herself.

“I'm happy, Lex. I'm not _going through_ anything. I chose this and Christen gets it.” _I think_ , Tobin adds silently. 

“Okay.” Alex offers her friend a small, warm smile, dropping the magazine to the floor. “What's for dinner?” she asks casually, changing the subject before Tobin can think too much. 

“It's Kelley's night,” Tobin says with a flat tone. 

“Oh great,” Alex smirks. 

Seconds later, Tobin's freckle-faced roommate wanders into the room from upstairs. Her hair is wet, leaving a trail of droplets behind her as she walks, and she looks surprisingly exhausted. 

“What's great?” Kelley asks with a yawn, falling into the chair she usually occupies in the living room. She seems deflated and much less hyper than usual. 

“You are, Kels,” Alex responds, amused by the other girl and her unusual behavior. No bouncing, pranking, or giggling. “Hungry?”

“Oh yeah, I'm _starving_ ,” Kelley says emphatically, draping a hand across her forehead for dramatic effect. “Shoot, it's my turn, isn't it?! Oh no!” 

Tobin chuckles as she watches Kelley scamper into the kitchen, and Alex laughs loudly when she hears Kelley throwing cabinets open and groaning. 

“Kels, come here. Don't cook, just order,” Tobin offers her phone to her roommate, chewing her bottom lip as her mind flashes back to her nights ordering in with Christen.

**…**

Christen sighs with frustration as she drops her hands from the steering wheel onto her lap. She massages one temple with her left hand and clicks her phone on with the other. She has been sitting in traffic for a solid fifteen minutes, rolling forward a few feet at a time every couple of minutes. _All I wanted to do was walk Morena_ , she thinks to herself with an eyeroll.

Just as she drops her phone back onto the empty passenger seat and reaches for the radio’s volume knob on her dashboard, her phone rings through the speakers. Christen twitches with surprise at the sound before answering the call. Her sister’s voice fills her car. 

“Chris, what the hell?” Tyler squeaks through the line. “Are you avoiding me?”

“No, of course not,” Christen responds, exhaling to try to ease her frustration instead of allowing Tyler to further aggravate her. “I’m busy,” she adds pointedly. 

“Busy with what? You relax for a living,” Tyler teases. 

“I just -” Christen begins, only to be cut off by a huge gasp from her sister. 

“You’re still seeing that girl! Wait, is she with you right now?”

“No, Tyler, ‘that girl’ isn't here. I'm driving back to work. And her name is Tobin,” Christen sighs, exasperated by the traffic and her sister’s drama. 

“Oh, well, how's that going?” Tyler's voice softens once she picks up on Christen's mood. 

“It's great. We've barely seen each other this week, but otherwise…” Christen trails off as she finally turns into the yoga studio’s parking lot, swinging into her usual spot. 

“Bummer. When can I meet her?” 

Christen snorts quietly. “You're across the country, Ty.”

“So? If she's important to you, I want to meet her. Plus she seems cool - athletic and famous and stuff,” Tyler muses. Christen can hear her fidgeting and rustling through plastic and papers. A small smile creeps across her face as she pictures Tobin and Tyler meeting. 

“You're pretty similar, I think,” Christen responds. Her smile grows as she hears Tyler mutter under her breath something about being so hungry she could eat an elephant. _Yep, they'd get along_ , she observes mentally. 

“Huh,” Tyler finally mumbles, crunching into the phone. “I wanna meet her,” she adds through a full mouth. “Have you met her family?” 

“No.” Christen tries to disguise the disappointment in her voice, but her tone still comes out deflated. 

“Have you like, talked to them or anything? Doesn't she have siblings?” Tyler presses on, always curious and concerned about Christen and her relationship habits. “You're not rushing again, right, Chris?” 

Christen stumbles over her words as she tries to explain. “They're not exactly on the same page as a family right now. They've, um, got some things to figure out before they're ready for new faces, I think.”

“What the heck does that mean?” 

“Uh, well,” Christen begins, drawing in a shaky breath. She knows Tyler won't take this well - they've always been open and accepting as a family, and she's afraid that Tyler won't understand what it's like not to have that support system. 

“Well?” Tyler prompts her, drawing the syllable out as she begins crunching again. 

“Tobin was in a bad relationship recently and she, well, she came out to her family before she was ready - and before they were ready. It didn't go so well,” Christen finishes, beginning to gather her belongings from around the interior of her car. She's nervous suddenly, with a weird feeling in her stomach. 

“Wait, what happened?” Tyler asks urgently. She's always been intrigued by family drama because the Press family has very little. 

“It's really not my story to tell, Tyler.” Christen rests her hand on the car door, ready to escape this conversation and get back to work. 

“But, but,” Tyler insists. “Wait, how are you going to stand not knowing her family for who knows how long? You said yourself that you needed to start meeting families so that you could slow down in the relationship. ‘Humanize it all,’ remember? Anchor yourself? Come on, Chris. What now?”

Christen feels her nervousness dissipate, only to be replaced by a frustrated heat that crawls up her neck and into her cheeks. She knows her sister is right. She remembers their last conversation well, during which they talked about ways for Christen to better cope with Tobin's need to take it slow. 

When she moved to Florida for the fresh start she so desperately needed, Christen felt a little too fresh, and she fell into a dangerous habit of initiating relationships, with several men and women, without thinking. _Spontaneous_ , she thought then. _You're just on a streak, a good one_ , Christen had coached herself. Each of those relationships ended as quickly as they began, though they didn't go out easily. Christen grew increasingly irritated with her lack of control of the situations, with her impulsivity. She continued to crash and burn, never maintaining contact with others afterward. She was friendless for the first time in her life, and so far away from her family's support. 

“Anyway, I'm just looking out for you. ‘Seems like you've been doing so well, that's all… Christen?”

“I _am_ doing well, Ty. Thanks for your concern. I'll tell you all about Tobin later, okay?” she promises, forcing herself to smile so that maybe she’ll be perky enough to continue her afternoon at work. 

“Okay, sure. Bye, Chris!”

Christen cuts the call off and pulls herself out of the car, jogging toward the studio when she realizes how late she actually is. Her head aches with stress already. I definitely need a date, she thinks as she swings the studio’s front door open.

**…**

The lump in her throat traps Christen's breath. Her heart is pounding, skipping a beat here and there. She pulls her fingers through her hair, seeking contact to soothe the nervousness that's causing her hands to tremor. Her vision focuses on a single spot as if everything and everyone around her has gone dark. “Please,” she whispers, clamping her teeth onto her bottom lip after uttering what she meant to keep to herself.

Christen watches almost without blinking as Alex kneels next to Tobin's crumpled figure down on the pitch. Kelley jogs toward the two, looking back and forth between their coach on the sideline and the situation on the field. Even from her seat several rows up, Christen can see that Tobin's face is scrunched into a painful grimace. Time seems to have slowed down as the dark-haired girl watches her girlfriend clutch her lower leg in pain, right where she took a cleat to the ankle. 

Christen wishes she could be the one rushing to Tobin's side instead of her teammates. She watches with worry-filled eyes as Tobin sits up a little straighter and takes the hand Alex offers her. Just before Christen can feel too helpless, Tobin is back on her feet and Christen's concern wanes. Alex helps Tobin gingerly walk toward the sidelines, where a trainer is waiting to check her out. Before she reaches her destination, though, Tobin raises a hand in a gentle wave to the crowd as a signal to them that she's okay. _She's okay_ , Christen recites silently as she finally exhales. Her green-grey eyes remain glued to Tobin's figure as she slowly moves toward the sideline, nearly collapsing onto the ground when she arrives, still in obvious pain. Her trainer crouches at her feet and begins removing Tobin's shoe and sock. 

Tobin lifts her chin toward the stands, craning her neck so that her eyes can quickly scan the crowd. She's able to spot Christen, wearing her purple jersey and twisting her dark hair around her fingers - her nervous habit. Tobin smiles a closed-lip smile in her girlfriend’s direction, though the moment is interrupted by a groan that escapes from Tobin's throat as her trainer applies pressure to her ankle to diagnose the injury. The soccer player flinches as steady fingers press into her bruised skin. She keeps her eyes toward Christen, smiling again when she feels her girlfriend's presence radiate toward her, just as Christen always does. 

The game continues without Tobin. She sits on the bench with her teammates, an ice pack wrapped around her elevated ankle. Her back is to Christen, and while she is focused on the game and her team’s performance, her mind frequently wanders to the beautiful dark-haired woman several rows up behind her. _She’s here for only you, Heath, and here you are, benched_ , she scolds herself. Tobin blames herself for the minor injury - she made a cocky move on the pitch and now she’s stuck with the consequences. 

Tobin doesn’t stick around on the field for very long after the game. She sits on the grass with Alex and Kelley as they stretch and listen to their coaches for a moment. It’s their first loss at home, and the team’s morale is low. The loss hits Tobin particularly hard, because although her team was behind from early on, losing one of their strongest players to a senseless injury didn’t help. The midfielder drags herself into the locker room while a few players stay behind to meet fans. 

Rain begins to fall as Christen walks to her car, where she agreed to meet Tobin. She frowns to herself as she turns the key in the ignition, reaching into her bag for her phone so she can text Tobin. 

_I’ll pick you up at the door :)_

Tobin replies within a few minutes, indicating to Christen that everyone must be moving quickly and quietly in the locker room. Christen chuckles aloud as she reads her girlfriend's message, already parked at the curb near the exit door. 

Tobin: _I don't need a pity pick-up!! I can walk_

Christen: _It's not pity, it's what I do for all the cute girls. Now get out here before KO beats you to it_

Tobin's moping subsides momentarily as she types, shaking her head and grinning at Christen's sense of humor. She pulls her hair over one shoulder, loops an arm through the strap of her backpack, mumbles a quick “see ya later” to her roommates, and shuffles toward the door. 

Christen giggles when she looks to her right to see Tobin's exaggerated frown through the passenger window. She motions for the soccer player to get into her car, taking Tobin's backpack from her and tossing it onto the backseat as she slowly lowers herself into the passenger seat. Tobin exhales loudly once she finally settles in and pulls the door closed, some loose strands of hair blowing around her face with her breath. 

“Hi,” Christen says softly, reaching her hand out to trace Tobin's cheekbone. She's unsure of what to say to Tobin, having never experienced the woman immediately after both an injury and a loss. 

“I don't want to talk about it,” Tobin says matter-of-factly. She gives Christen the best smile she can muster up as she traps her hand in her own. 

Christen nods. “No problem. You're okay, right?” she asks as her eyes fall toward Tobin's bruised ankle. 

“I'll be fine. Don't worry.” Tobin gives a more genuine smile this time, squeezing Christen's hand gently. “What's not fine is how long it's been since I've gotten to -” 

Christen's lips meeting hers interrupts Tobin's sentence. She kisses her girlfriend back, brushing her hand over her forearm to try to smooth out the goosebumps that have appeared there. Christen breaks their kiss slowly, exhaling contentedly before moving back into the driver’s seat. 

“- do that,” Tobin finishes with her eyes glued to Christen. She admires how candid her girlfriend can be, surprising her in the smallest and most significant ways. 

Christen only hums happily in response, reaching for Tobin's hand again after shifting her car into ‘drive.’ She interlaces their fingers and smiles when Tobin begins mindlessly stroking the back of Christen's hand. 

“I have to admit,” she begins. “I was pretty worried. Not just worried actually… Scared. I've seen athletes get hurt before but like, it's never been someone I care so much about.” 

Christen opens her mouth to continue speaking but Tobin squeezes her hand again, this time to calm her rambling. “I knew you would be. That's why I got up.”

“For me?” 

“Yeah, so you wouldn't get scared,” Tobin explains as if it's the simplest truth there is. She shrugs, smiling a lopsided smile at Christen, who is quiet for a moment as she continues driving toward her apartment. 

“I'm gonna have to cancel what I planned for your birthday now that you're a little crippled,” she teases, hoping that Tobin will play along as soon as she remembers Kelley's comments from a few days earlier. _Can I ask about last year or not?_ Christen wonders. 

She's grateful when the soccer player chuckles in response. “I don't need plans when I have you around.”

Christen's throat tightens slightly as she grins almost as if it were a reflex. _Nope, not asking_ , she decides. She brushes her thumb across Tobin's knee as she continues thinking. _This is what it's supposed to be like then. Not so many ups and downs. This is it, Christen._

**…**

Christen lets herself in through the front door only to be bombarded by sights and sounds. She's taken aback as she glances around the room in front of her. All of the furniture in the soccer players’ living room has been shoved aside toward the walls and a soccer-ball-shaped piñata is dangling from the ceiling, held there with a copious amount of duct tape. Christen spots Kelley and Allie, leaning against the couch, and Alex is giggling while she spins a blindfolded Tobin around by her shoulders near the piñata. Ashlyn and Ali are at the other edge of the room, and Ali is holding a half-full glass in each hand while Ashlyn aims her phone’s camera. It's just past noon but, based on the volume of everyone's voices and the amount of laughter filling the room, Christen is certain that Tobin's birthday has already been kicked off with a toast or two. 

Finally, Kelley notices Christen, still standing in the entryway, and yells for her to come over. Ali places a glass of champagne in Christen's hand as she passes by, and Alex passes a small plastic bat to her as she makes her way toward the center of the room. 

“Helloooo, what do I hit this with?” Tobin whines, flailing her arms around in search of the piñata. 

Alex motions for Christen to hand the bat to her girlfriend, spilling some of her own champagne in the process. Kelley snickers from the sidelines as Tobin stands empty-handed in the center of the room with her arms dropped to her sides in defeat and her bottom lip pushed into a pout. Christen can't suppress her own giggles as she realizes that Tobin still doesn't know she's there. She extends her arm, bat in hand, toward Tobin, but she quickly pulls it back to her as an idea pops into her mind. 

“Oh, come on, Chri -” Kelley begins to whine, her voice loud and sharp, but Allie cuts her off with a punch to her upper arm. 

Christen takes a few quiet steps toward Tobin, who is about to speak again, clearly annoyed with being left out of whatever is happening around her. Before she can speak, Tobin feels a pair of lips meet her own as a warm breath brushes across her face. She stumbles backward slightly, surprised by the kiss. Just as Tobin begins to panic, realizing that she doesn't know whose lips are pressed against hers, Christen breaks away, leaving a quick kiss on Tobin's cheek before she speaks. 

“Hi, birthday girl,” she murmurs, taking Tobin's hand and placing the bat into her fingers. “Have fun!” 

Tobin is frozen in place for a moment after Christen moves away, with her lips still parted in surprise and confusion. Everyone in the room laughs at the interaction. “What the…?” the midfielder mumbles before shrugging and waving her arms around to find the piñata again. 

“You really had her!” Kelley squeals, while Ash high-fives Christen, causing the dark-haired girl to blush slightly at how forward she had been in front of all of Tobin's friends. 

“Not her last surprise today, huh?” Alex whispers to Christen, bumping her shoulder as she re-enters the room with a plate of food in her hands. Christen grins in response, watching Tobin swing and laughing as Kelley tries to coach her. 

“We do this for everyone,” Alex adds, with her mouth full of food. “Tobs didn't get one last year, so we're giving her two this time. One with candy, one with tiny bottles of liquor,” the blue-eyed girl explains, smirking. 

“The other one is shaped like a squirrel!” Kelley shouts, bouncing on her toes and stumbling to dodge Tobin's swings. 

“I'm holding out for that one,” Ashlyn jokes from where she's sitting on the floor nearby.

_I'm holding out for later, too,_ Christen thinks to herself as she eyes her girlfriend again, allowing the memory of their recent kiss to settle in her mind and on her lips.

  
**…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love reading your comments! :) The next one should come a little more quickly - it's half-written already. What do you predict for the rest of Tobin's birthday?


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobin's birthday: part I

“Oh, Toby!” Allie sing-songs from the top of the stairway, drawing out the syllables as her footsteps move toward Tobin's bedroom. 

Christen looks up at the blonde when she appears in the doorway, holding a glittery paper birthday hat in one hand with several articles of clothing draped over her other arm. Allie rolls her eyes at Tobin, who is tucked against Christen's side, her head resting on a pillow folded against Christen's ribcage. 

“Seriously?” Allie whisper-shouts. “It's her birthday - the best one ever - and she's napping?!”

Christen smiles, absentmindedly smoothing her hand over Tobin's hair, pausing when her fingers graze bare skin on the midfielder’s shoulder. Tobin had shed her t-shirt before lying down, whining about being soaked in champagne from when she bumped into Ali while swinging at the piñata. Now the soccer player is draped across Christen’s lower body in her sweatpants and sports bra, sleeping soundly. 

“Just means she’ll be more fun later,” Christen shrugs. 

Allie exhales dramatically just as Kelley squeezes into the doorway next to her. “What?! Wake her up! We have things to do!” Kelley says adamantly. 

“Nah, come on, Kel. She can sleep for a little while, I guess,” Allie herds Kelley out of the doorway and back into the hall, but not before the freckle-faced girl pops her head back into Tobin’s bedroom. 

“We _will_ be back!” she whispers at Christen, giggling as she’s dragged away. 

Christen returns to scrolling through social media on her phone, her fingers still twisting their way in and out of Tobin’s messy waves. Butterflies float into Christen’s stomach when Tobin shifts slightly in her sleep, wrapping her arm over Christen’s waist and tucking her fingers beneath her hip. Tobin squeezes Christen gently, pulling herself closer as she stirs from her nap. 

“Baby,” she mumbles into the pillow, still holding her grip around Christen. 

“Hi, sleepy,” Christen responds softly, pulling Tobin’s hair away from her face. “Feel better?”

“No,” Tobin groans. “My head is killing me.” She releases Christen’s waist to cover her eyes with her hand. “How am I supposed to get through the rest of today if I can’t get through the morning piñata?” 

Christen laughs quietly before she presses a kiss onto her girlfriend’s forehead. “You’ll be having so much fun that you won’t notice. Want some water?” 

“No, I want more of those,” Tobin responds, tilting her head up at Christen with her eyes squeezed shut and lips puckered like a cartoon character, causing her girlfriend to giggle at her. 

Christen obliges, leaning over Tobin’s head to kiss her, their lips meeting sideways in a peck that doesn’t satisfy Tobin. She tosses the pillow aside and pushes her body upwards so their heads are nearly parallel before pressing her lips to Christen’s again. The dark-haired girl giggles once more as Tobin’s arm snakes across her waist, tickling her slightly. Tobin takes advantage of Christen’s parted lips during her laugh, biting the girl’s lower lip gently as she tightens her arm to pull Christen as close as possible. 

Christen can’t resist trailing her hands across Tobin’s exposed back as they continue to kiss. She feels her stomach heat up when Tobin deepens their kiss, gliding her tongue across Christen’s. In one motion, Tobin slides her other arm under Christen and around her back, effectively capturing the dark-haired girl in her strong grip before pulling Christen onto her lap as she leans against the pillows at the head of her bed. Christen’s knees fall to either side of Tobin’s hips and her lips begin to wander away from the soccer player’s, pressing slow kisses against her cheek, along her jaw, and finally across her neck. Tobin exhales through her nostrils, thoroughly enjoying Christen but feeling that she should give in to her head, which is practically screaming for her to stop. She gently guides Christen’s face back up toward hers with a finger hooked under her chin, looking into her green eyes for a moment. 

“Oh no,” Christen breathes as worry flashes through her eyes. She sits back, creating distance between their bodies, forcing her eyes not to wander lower, toward Tobin’s exposed torso. “I’m sorry,” she adds timidly. 

“No, no, come back. Don’t apologize,” Tobin soothes her, leaning forward to kiss Christen quickly. “I’m fine. Just not now, right?” She offers a reassuring smile, slipping her fingers into the belt-loops on Christen’s jeans and tugging to pull her back in. 

Christen rests her hands on Tobin’s bare shoulders, busying her fingers with the loose tangles there. She remains quiet and her face is unreadable as she stares over Tobin’s shoulder. 

“Hey,” Tobin murmurs. “Don’t shut down on me, babe. I didn’t mean to - I just… I want that, definitely, okay? Just later.” 

“I hear you,” Christen says finally, nodding once. Her eyes finally find Tobin’s again, and she softens. “It _is_ your birthday, after all,” she adds, giving Tobin an exaggerated wink and giggling at herself afterward. 

“You’re right,” Tobin agrees, also laughing. Once again, she’s grateful for Christen’s sense of humor - without it, she’d fall back into the spiral of self-doubt she’s experienced in the past. “So, now what?”

“Well, _you_ have to go find your roommates. _I_ have something else to do for a little while, but I’ll see you later, promise,” Christen explains, allowing her hands to drop to Tobin’s sides, where she taps her fingers against her skin as she talks. 

Tobin twitches and smiles, always ticklish. “That’s it? That’s all you’re going to tell me?” she whines, leaning forward to tickle Christen back, her fingers slipping under the green-eyed girl’s shirt to reach her warm skin. The two fall sideways onto the bed, where their laughter subsides into several kisses that grow slower and deeper as Tobin’s fingers trace the skin over Christen’s shoulders and spine. Christen separates their lips, dipping her head to nuzzle into Tobin’s neck. 

“I’ll be back for this, I said,” Christen reminds her girlfriend. “That’s all you need to know.” She punctuates her sentences with kisses pressed to Tobin’s skin before sitting up and slipping off of the bed quickly so that Tobin can’t grab her to hold her back. 

“You _are_ all I need, like I said,” Tobin retorts as she gets to her feet. 

Christen beams at her girlfriend. “Get a new line,” she teases, swatting at Tobin’s hip with the damp t-shirt she took off earlier. “See you later, birthday girl.”

**…**

“Hello?” Tobin calls out, flipping the lights on in the familiar room as she enters. She glances around the locker room, and when she doesn't find anyone, she crosses the room toward the other exit.

“Why here?” she had asked Allie when the blonde dropped her off minutes ago. Of course, Allie provided no explanation or details - just a knowing grin and a wave of her hand that meant “get out of the car.” 

Now, Tobin paces down the wide hallway toward the pitch, arms raised above her head as she nervously combs her fingers through her hair. “Seriously, what the hell?” she mutters as she walks, growing more and more skeptical with each step. 

It takes a moment for her amber eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight that floods the open-air entryway that leads to the field. Tobin brings a hand to her brow to shade her eyes a bit, squinting out onto the field. She sees no one, exactly as she expected. _Why would anyone be here today?_ she asks herself silently. 

Tobin decides to stick around for a little while, regardless. She slides her feet out of her flip flops as she walks onto the field, grateful for another brief chance to be barefoot on the grass. She looks up and around, appreciating the silence and the sun’s warmth. It's not often that the players experience an empty, quiet stadium, nor do they usually welcome the hot sun on their backs or in their eyes during practice and games. 

Suddenly, a soccer ball rolls toward Tobin. She raises an eyebrow when she notices a note securely taped to it - _kick me_. She glances around for the source of the ball, still not seeing anyone. Tobin slowly touches the ball, moving forward while she continues looking around. After several taps, she picks up a jog and plays with the ball, the movements coming so naturally to her. 

She's nearly halfway across the field when she finally looks up from the ball again, pausing mid-kick. A grin spreads across Tobin’s face when her eyes meet Christen’s. 

“Happy birthday to you,” the green-eyed girl begins singing as she approaches Tobin, her own grin beaming as bright as the sun. Christen finishes the song through giggles as Tobin juggles the soccer ball back and forth with the tune. 

“Thanks, beautiful,” Tobin murmurs to her, nudging the ball aside and pressing her lips to Christen’s cheek. “This was you?” she asks, her eyes still wide and sparkling as she gazes around the stadium again. 

“Yep! Well, also Kelley...” Christen tucks her dark waves behind her ears as her shining grin fades into a touch of shyness. She forces her eyes to meet Tobin’s. “I heard how much you love this place, especially when it’s like this,” she explains, gesturing with her arms outspread. “Plus, I thought maybe you’d play with me,” Christen finishes, her voice quieting as her grin returns. 

Tobin laughs softly at her girlfriend, surprised by her uncertainty. “Play with you, huh?” Tobin wags her eyebrows at Christen, her eyes comically wide with implication. The soccer player usually plays up her antics to reassure her friends when they fall quiet, and so far, it has always gotten a laugh out of Christen, too. The dark-haired girl giggles and playfully smacks Tobin’s shoulder, then Tobin pulls her close, into a strong hug with her toned arms wrapped across Christen’s back. “Of course I will,” Tobin finally answers, her voice low and sweet over Christen’s shoulder. 

“Oh, wait!” Christen exclaims, wriggling out of Tobin’s grip. “You have to make a wish first!” 

Tobin watches with amusement as her girlfriend flits over to the bench and back, carrying a small paper box with a clear plastic window on the top. Tobin stands on her tiptoes and exaggerates craning her neck to peek into the box as Christen approaches. 

“Be patient!” Christen scolds her as she turns her back to open the box. Tobin whistles idly while Christen fidgets with the contents for a moment before turning around to reveal a large cupcake with a lit candle on top. “Make a wish, baby,” she repeats, her megawatt smile lighting up her face again. 

With her eyes squeezed shut, Tobin inhales, holding her breath while she silently recites her wish - _for this happiness to last longer than before_. A moment later, she blows out the single candle Christen lit for her. She opens her eyes only to find a pair of green-grey eyes sparkling back at her. “I’m not telling you my wish no matter how cute you make yourself,” Tobin jokes, her eyes narrowed. 

Christen doesn’t respond, or even move. Instead, she continues smiling at her girlfriend, feeling accomplished and grateful and flat-out smitten with Tobin. Finally, her silence breaks, just as Tobin’s face begins to twist into an expression of confusion.

“I’ve never gotten to do this for someone,” Christen says quietly. “This is special. I just wanted to make sure that you have a better time than… I mean, this isn’t that big, I guess - well, later - Oops, I can’t tell you that!” she rambles, clamping a hand over her mouth in such an adorable fashion that Tobin can do nothing but pry her hand out of the way and cover Christen’s lips with her own. 

“This is perfect, and all I need,” Tobin reminds her. 

“Oh, here!” Christen places the cupcake box into Tobin’s hands. 

Tobin sits down on the pitch, then, her legs outstretched with the box on her lap. She meticulously breaks the cake in half, lifting a piece in her palm up toward where Christen still stands. She grins up at Christen, chewing her bottom lip a little to rein in all the emotion that the dark-haired girl’s thoughtfulness brings up. 

Minutes later, with only crumbs left in the box, Tobin's head is in Christen's lap, where it landed after Christen tried to smear cake icing across her girlfriend’s face. Christen twirls locks of the soccer player’s hair as she watches Tobin tap the ball back and forth between her feet. 

“Still wanna play?” Tobin asks, tilting her chin toward the sky to make eye contact with Christen above her. 

“Of course I do,” Christen answers with a smile. She presses a quick kiss to Tobin's forehead before the brown-eyed girl springs to her feet. Christen is always content to be quiet and still with Tobin. In fact, that's become her favorite way to be with her girlfriend, if only because it happens so rarely since Tobin is typically unable to sit still at all. 

Now, grateful to be up and moving, Tobin ties her hair up into a messy bun - the kind Christen likes most because of all the wisps that fall around her girlfriend's face after a few hours - and passes the ball toward Christen. They spend the next half hour passing and laughing, Christen staying close by and staring when Tobin goes for a trick. Tobin narrates their “match,” her voice louder and brighter than normal. 

The brown-eyed girl’s fitness, coupled with the amount of joy she exudes when there is a ball at her feet, eventually stops Christen in her tracks. Tobin returns to her, switching the ball between her feet as she walks. 

“Hi,” Tobin says quietly, breaking Christen's daydream with a quick peck on her lips. 

“I can't stop watching you,” Christen mumbles shyly. “You just look perfect and happy, like you were made for this. I don't get to see that when I'm up there,” she explains, pointing behind them toward the stadium seats. 

Tobin wraps her arms around Christen once more, settling her hands at the small of her back this time. Christen leans into her girlfriend, searching her eyes for what's next. Her stomach always flutters with nerves whenever Tobin is slow to respond, and this time is no different. Tobin opens her mouth to speak just as another voice drifts into the stadium from the direction of the locker rooms. 

“Okay, kids, time’s up,” Ashlyn calls out to them with a faux stern voice. Alex trails alongside the blonde, swatting her bicep when she sees Christen and Tobin’s startled expressions. 

“Tobs, you’re mine now,” Alex says once they finally reach the couple. 

Tobin looks between the three women and shrugs. “I guess you guys are calling the shots today.” 

“The shots have been called. We just have to meet them at the bar,” Ashlyn says, chuckling at her pun. 

“ _Ashlyn_!” Alex scolds, jabbing the blonde’s arm once more. “Shush, you!” 

Christen giggles at the teammates before tugging Tobin back into her front. “See you later,” she murmurs after the two share a quick kiss. Christen playfully pushes Tobin away from her, toward Alex. “Keep her in one piece,” the green-eyed girl warns, wagging her index finger at Alex and Ashlyn. 

Another laugh leaves Christen’s lips when Tobin mouths “help me” over her shoulder as Alex loops her forearm through her friend’s elbow, already chattering about the outfit options that she and Ashlyn have selected for Tobin. Christen waves sweetly at her girlfriend, chewing the inside of her cheek as she anticipates the rest of the day’s events.

**…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little build-up... ;) Thoughts?


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobin's birthday: part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Two chapters at once. These started out as a single chapter, but that got a little too long, so I broke them up. Enjoy, guys!  
> (The end of this one is NSFW.)

Tobin could count on one hand the number of times her hands have left Christen’s body tonight. That is, if she could manage to count at all. If she could count, she’d also know how many drinks she’s had, but since all of them have been handed to her or even poured into her mouth by her surrounding friends and teammates, she’s having a hard time keeping up with it. She recalls Kelley enthusiastically suggesting that Tobin take 28 shots earlier in the night - thankfully, Ashlyn immediately shut down that idea, reminding Kelley that birthdays are only fun until someone dies. Tobin has overheard several other chats throughout the night - some about her, and about Christen, and about her and Christen together - but all the words have gone in one ear and out the other, because she has been fixated on one thing. _Christen._

It started when she was led into the back of this club by the elbow, Kelley at her side repeatedly reminding her not to peek, as if the insides of Tobin’s eyelids could mask the sounds leaking out of the club. Still, once inside where she was allowed to open her eyes, Tobin pretended to be surprised by the venue, though the feeling became increasingly genuine once she was led toward the group of friends and teammates that had assembled for her. Her eyes quickly scanned the gathering, however, seeking her favorite megawatt smile and sparkling green eyes. 

Tobin accepted hugs and birthday wishes, high fives and offers for drinks, all with a grin across her face and a happy fullness in her heart. She was just settling into the rhythm of the night, watching her bubbly friends dance around their reserved tables, sipping each other’s drinks, before they finally ventured toward the increasingly-crowded dance floor. Then, before she could retrieve her phone from the back pocket of her jeans to send a text message, Tobin caught a glimpse of thick, dark curls moving through the small crowd toward the group’s corner of the club, and her stomach flip-flopped. 

“Oh, God, I’m so late! I’m so sorry!” Christen stressed as she finally reached the table where Tobin still sat, Ashlyn and Ali across from her in their own world. Behind her natural makeup, Christen’s face was practically panicked. Once Christen placed the two shots she’d been carrying onto the table between them, Tobin took her hand to soothe her. 

“You’re here.” Tobin managed to utter two words before her eyes - already parallel to Christen’s waist from her seated position - instinctively wandered up and down the other girl’s figure. Her eyes fluttered back to Christen’s just as quickly as they had left, though the image of the dark-haired girl in her tight, dark jeans and heeled, black ankle boots with a flowing top that dipped into a low V in both the front and back was absolutely burned into Tobin’s mind from that moment forward. 

Tobin pulled the beaming woman onto the booth to her left, and a small fire spread across her skin when Christen’s thigh landed touching hers. The same fire lapped at her kneecap where Christen’s hand fell, and bubbled up into her cheeks as the green-eyed girl nuzzled into Tobin’s neck, pressing one kiss there. 

“I’m here,” Christen breathed into Tobin’s ear, kissing her temple, which then felt ablaze to Tobin, too. 

“Chris! _Finally_!” Kelley gushed, brushing frizzy strays away from her face as she approached. “You two, me, shots, right now,” the freckle-faced girl instructed, pointing between herself, Tobin, and Christen. 

The couple obliged, tossing back the shots Christen had carried over with her when she arrived, and so began Tobin’s acceptance of drinks from others. Christen did her best to keep track for the both of them, but soon enough, Tobin was solidly drunk and only communicated with giggles, trailing hands, and gentle-but-sloppy kisses pressed haphazardly to Christen’s cheeks, lips, jawline, and neck. 

Now, Christen leans back against the same table, her hands busy fidgeting with her own hair to avoid settling onto the sticky cocktail residue that has coated the table. Her gaze is directed toward the still-crowded dance floor in front of her, and despite the amount of action occurring there, her eyes are unwavering. She watches Tobin laugh as a couple of her teammates try to teach her a certain dance, which she quickly gives up on. Tobin’s laughter subsides and her eyes flit over to Christen just as the song changes. The midfielder crooks an index finger at her girlfriend, beckoning Christen toward her. Christen beams and pushes away from the table, dancing her way through the crowd, arms twisting above her head, until she feels familiar strong arms wrap around her waist from behind. 

“Got you!” Tobin exclaims over the music, her voice and face giddy. 

Christen matches Tobin’s steps, her body almost melting into the toned frame behind her. She’s not sure if it’s the several drinks she finished earlier or the way Tobin’s movements perfectly mirror hers, but something slows time down for Christen. Moments into the second song, Tobin laces her fingers with Christen’s and her voice floats into Christen’s ear. 

“Kiss me,” she husks, her breath hot against Christen’s skin. 

The dark-haired girl finally turns to fully face Tobin, her gaze steady. She swallows some uncertainty before speaking. “Here?”

Tobin answers by pressing her front against Christen’s as she locks their lips. The kiss is quick but deep and urgent. Christen exhales as Tobin pulls away, her head suddenly swimming. Her eyelashes flutter open and she meets Tobin’s golden-brown eyes with her own, waiting for the soccer player to speak or move. 

“I’m happy you’re here, but,” Tobin begins, taking a sharp breath in the middle of her sentence. “I think you need to leave.” 

Christen blinks rapidly, caught completely off-guard by her girlfriend. She takes a single step backward, and her confusion grows as Tobin steps forward to close the space she created. 

“...With me,” Tobin clarifies, smirking at her own line. She sways slightly, her mind still abuzz with the effects of several drinks, bumping into Christen’s front. 

Christen rolls her eyes, chuckling at her girlfriend. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And _you’re_ beautiful,” Tobin quips, settling her hands on Christen’s hips to hold her close. Her eyes are nearly smoldering, Christen notices, and she can’t help but kiss Tobin’s lips in response. 

“Okay, okay, we can have a sleepover,” Christen concedes, as if she were going to turn Tobin down. 

“In our ‘birthday suits’?” Tobin suggests with a sly grin. “Get it? For my birthday?” She laughs at herself as Christen interlaces their fingers, shaking her head as she leads Tobin toward their table to say goodbye to the few members of their group who are still around. Tobin keeps one hand on Christen’s waist as she follows the green-eyed girl, aiming to keep Christen at her fingertips like she had for most of the night.

**…**

Tobin slides out of the backseat on the driver's side and jogs around the back of the car to open Christen's door for her. Christen giggles at the gesture and takes Tobin's hand as she stands up out of the car, jacket trailing behind her. Tobin thanks their driver once more before closing the car door, never letting go of Christen's hand. They walk toward the front door, and Christen is still giggling on and off.

"What's so funny, huh?" Tobin asks with a grin as they reach the porch. She turns around to face Christen, who is coming up the steps behind her. Christen trips over the top step and falls into Tobin, still laughing with her cheeks tinged pink from the drinks and the heat of the club. Tobin wraps her arms around her girlfriend, tickling her sides as she does. Tobin’s own head is abuzz, too, and Christen’s laughter rings through her ears, causing tingles to spread throughout Tobin’s body. 

"I'm just happy," Christen says, her laughter finally subsiding. She locks her grey-green eyes on Tobin's and loops her arms around her neck, nuzzling her face into the warmth at Tobin’s collarbone. She presses her lips to the tanned skin there, feeling her girlfriend’s pulse quicken beneath her mouth. 

Tobin responds wordlessly, squeezing her arms tighter around Christen, her laughter still echoing in Tobin's mind. She leaves a kiss on Christen's hair and runs her hands up and down her sides, causing Christen to shiver slightly and snuggle closer. 

"Let's go inside," Tobin whispers against Christen's hair, inhaling the scent of her shampoo mixed with Christen’s earlier drinks. Her mind has steadied slightly, and she finds herself craving the fire Christen unintentionally lit in her earlier in the night.

Christen hums in response and lifts her head to look at Tobin again. "You're gorgeous," Tobin comments, her voice slightly raspy. She clears her throat, keeping her eyes fixed on the girl in her arms. 

"So are you," Christen says before kissing the tip of Tobin's nose sweetly. Christen shivers again, this time from the breeze that blows across her bare arms. She reaches down and interlaces her fingers with Tobin's, tugging her hand toward the door. "Come on."

Tobin opens the front door with her free hand and motions for Christen to step in first. Christen obliges, turning on her heels to catch Tobin's body against the door just after she pulls it closed. Christen tucks a lock of Tobin's hair behind her right ear and presses her body against the soccer player. She looks into Tobin's golden brown eyes, noticing that they're darker than usual. Tobin brings her hands up to Christen's hair, slowly entangling her fingers right behind her neck. She pulls Christen's face toward her own and kisses her, slowly and gently at first, but as Christen feels Tobin's fingers graze the sensitive skin on the back of her neck, she deepens their kiss. She feels Tobin's tongue against her lips and parts them, allowing her to explore. Christen lets out a small, content sigh as she feels Tobin press away from the door to begin slowly walking them further into the house, lips never parting. 

They've barely taken three steps away from the door when it opens and Kelley and Allie come crashing in, talking and laughing loudly. They stop in their tracks, door still wide open, when they look up and see Tobin and Christen, who can hardly separate themselves in time to avoid the gazes of the other girls.

“Well helloooo," Kelley gushes, flashing Tobin a knowing grin. “Hi Chris!” she makes a point to say, peering around Tobin’s body to look at Christen as she speaks. 

Christen hides her face against Tobin's chest, mumbling "Oh no" shyly as she does. 

"Hi guys, and bye, have a great night," Tobin says quickly and as casually as possible, giving her roommates a quick wave over her shoulder. She places a hand on Christen's lower back and gently pushes her toward the stairway. 

"Hey, keep it down, will ya?" Allie calls after them, earning a chuckle and a high five from Kelley as they wander into the kitchen in search of late-night snacks. 

“Happy birthday, Tobs!” Kelley shouts, still laughing. 

Tobin exhales in annoyance at her roommates, who always manage to push her buttons. She reaches ahead of her to capture Christen's hand in her own as they make it to the top of the stairs. She pulls Christen backwards into her, wrapping her toned arms tight around Christen's waist. She steers the dark-haired girl into her bedroom, smiling as Christen turns her head to the side to steal a kiss from Tobin. 

"I can't get enough," Christen confesses, falling shy again as Tobin gently closes her bedroom door with her foot. 

"I'm not complaining," she reassures Christen, loosening her grip as the girl in her arms turns her body around to face her. She kisses Christen's forehead, then each side of her face and the tip of her nose before finally meeting her lips. Christen immediately deepens their kiss, picking up where they left off before they were interrupted. She slips her tongue through Tobin's lips as Tobin's hands lazily wander over her body, running up and down her arms and her sides before settling onto her hips. 

She feels Tobin's fingers slip under the hem of her top, right at the waistband of her jeans, and her breath catches slightly in her throat as Tobin's hands ghost over her skin. Christen begins to feel a little dizzy, between Tobin's caressing hands and warm mouth still on hers, and she leans her weight against the midfielder's body to steady herself, impressed when Tobin doesn't stumble at all. Instead, Tobin removes her hands from under Christen's shirt and nimbly slides them down over Christen's backside, settling just at the top of her thighs. In one quick motion, she lifts Christen up and guides her legs around her waist, their kiss only breaking when Christen squeaks in surprise. 

Tobin smiles into their kiss and carries Christen across the room, shuffling until her shins bump against the side of her bed. She bends her knees to set Christen down, but the girl doesn't let go of Tobin's neck, instead pulling her down on top of her. Christen giggles again, as if proud of herself for getting Tobin on top of her. She slips her own hands underneath Tobin's t-shirt this time, caressing her fingers over Tobin's strong back. 

Tobin's lips find their way to Christen's jaw, peppering quick kisses from her ear to her chin before dipping lower to leave long, wet kisses down her neck. Tobin hears Christen gasp softly, and she continues to kiss over to her throat, satisfied by the sounds coming from Christen's mouth near her ear. She trails her tongue down to Christen's collarbone, gently nipping across each side as she feels her t-shirt being tugged up over her ribs and chest. Tobin pushes up away from her girlfriend’s body, lifting one arm at a time as she allows her shirt to be pulled over her head. She's about to lean back down to continue her path of kisses along Christen's front when Tobin hears her whisper, "This, too," as she slides a finger under the bottom band of Tobin's black sports bra. 

She obeys Christen's request, sitting up onto her knees and pulling the garment over her head, arms crossed as she does. Christen grazes her fingers over Tobin's perfectly toned stomach, admiring her figure in the dark room. Tobin kicks her shoes off, letting them fall to the floor with two consecutive thuds, before leaning back over Christen and pressing a kiss to the hollow of her throat, gaining another small gasp from her. She moves her lips up to meet Christen's again and begins tugging at the hem of Christen's top. 

"It's only fair," she murmurs, grazing her lips over Christen's ear. Tobin gently nips at her earlobe before planting a series of wet kisses down one side of her neck, at which Christen moans quietly. She feels Christen move beneath her, lifting her hips toward Tobin's. Suddenly, Christen's wrist is bumping Tobin's chin as she pulls her own top off. 

"Better?" Christen sasses before nipping at Tobin's ear herself. She feels Tobin's weight fall against her body as she gently sucks at the pulse point on the side of the midfielder's neck. Tobin shifts to her left so one leg falls between Christen's with the other to her side, and her hands find their way to Christen's breasts, still covered by her maroon-colored lace bra. Tobin's hands graze across each breast, teasing Christen's nipples, which she can feel hardening through the thin fabric. Christen sighs into another moan, wrapping her leg over Tobin’s, effectively trapping it between her own legs. She weaves her fingers into Tobin’s waves as her eyes fall closed, her head buzzing and skin tingling slightly.

Tobin kisses, then gently sucks Christen's skin along the top edge of her bra, sliding her hands beneath Christen's back, which arches slightly to make room for Tobin to unhook her bra. Christen shrugs the straps off her shoulders, and Tobin palms Christen's now-bare breasts, fingers gently closing around each of her hardened nipples. Christen watches as Tobin's eyes darken and she leans her head down to capture each of the nubs in her mouth one after the other, sucking and softly swirling her tongue over them. Christen lets out a louder moan at the feeling of Tobin's mouth on her skin, and she tugs on her hair to bring Tobin's face to her own. "C'mere," she manages to murmur before Tobin's lips meet her own. 

They quickly fall into a deep kiss, hands roaming over each other's exposed torsos. Christen feels Tobin relax into her and she takes advantage of the moment to push her body away from the bed, rolling to the right so that she lands on top of Tobin. She straddles the soccer player, rocking up to her knees and reaching for the button and zipper of her own jeans. Tobin bites her bottom lip as she rakes her eyes shamelessly over the girl in front of her, taking in her ruffled hair, pink-tinted cheeks, and her seemingly flawless body. Tobin smirks as she spots a couple of faint bruises left by her teeth as she explored Christen's collarbone and breasts. 

"What's so funny, hmm?" Christen coos into Tobin's left ear, leaning over her body again after unbuttoning and unzipping her own jeans, leaving them loose on her hips. 

"You might be doing yoga in a turtleneck next week," Tobin jokes, her voice slightly raspy. She lets out a surprised gasp as she feels Christen's mouth on her own nipple, tongue making lazy circles. Christen sucks Tobin's flesh between her teeth, intent on leaving her own mark. 

"I don't mind," she retorts, loving how Tobin arches her back slightly to meet Christen's mouth as it trails down her ribs and abs, nipping gently here and there. Christen lets her hands trail behind her mouth, lightly grazing Tobin’s chest, breasts, and ribs, giving Tobin goosebumps as she goes. Christen hears her let out a sigh, and she gives Tobin a closed-lip smile in return, meeting her brown eyes with her own as she trails her index finger across Tobin’s abs once more. 

“You okay?” Christen asks softly, planting a kiss just below Tobin’s belly button. The last syllable of her question wavers, and Christen winces to herself, hoping she doesn’t sound too concerned for Tobin. This is somewhere in-between for the two of them - a little too fast for Tobin and significantly slower than Christen is used to. 

“Mhmm,” Tobin hums, closing her eyes and smiling. “I’m great.” 

“Good,” Christen responds, satisfied and ready to continue. She traces the waistband of Tobin’s underwear, visible just above the button of her jeans. “Can I?” she asks sweetly, looking back at Tobin’s face. 

Tobin responds with only a nod, lifting her hips for Christen, who takes her time unbuttoning Tobin’s jeans and sliding down the zipper, fingers grazing her hipbones and thighs as she pushes the pants down Tobin’s legs. Tobin kicks her feet once or twice, and Christen let’s out a small laugh when she hears the jeans hit the floor. “Thanks for the help,” she comments, leaning all the way down to kiss Tobin’s lips, gently sucking her lower lip between her teeth. 

“These, too,” Christen repeats, lips still against Tobin’s as her hands begin pushing Tobin’s underwear down her hips. Tobin lifts her hips again, helping in the same way, without breaking their kiss. She tangles her fingers into Christen’s dark hair again, trying to keep Christen’s mouth as close as possible as her fingers brush over Tobin’s inner thighs. A small moan escapes Tobin’s lips only to be swallowed by Christen, who hums in satisfaction. 

Tobin’s mind is swimming, her senses overwhelmed by Christen’s touch, the taste of her mouth with the night’s drinks still on her breath, and the scent of the perfume she must have spritzed on earlier in the evening. She loses track of Christen’s movements, surprising herself with another moan as Christen kisses along her hipbones. Christen looks up at her, eyes dark with want, before planting one kiss right on Tobin’s center. She nudges the midfielder’s toned thighs apart and ghosts her fingers across Tobin’s core, moving her hand away as Tobin lifts her hips toward Christen’s hand, seeking relief. 

“No, no,” Christen scolds, giving Tobin a sexy smile as she slides a finger through Tobin’s wetness, earning a louder moan this time. Tobin’s eyes close as she feels herself grow wetter at Christen’s touch. Christen traces circles around her clit, holding her free hand steady against Tobin’s hip to keep her from bucking again. She slides her finger down toward Tobin’s entrance, teasing to get another moan from her girlfriend. 

“You’re so wet,” Christen comments, slipping her middle finger just barely inside Tobin, curling it gently as she pulls it back out. Tobin’s legs tense at Christen’s sides and Christen feels her own wetness growing as she watches Tobin arch her back and squeeze her own breast desperately. 

“Baby, _please_ ,” Tobin groans, her eyes still closed. “I want you.” 

Christen’s stomach flutters at the sound of her girlfriend’s voice, thick with want. She smiles and leans down to kiss Tobin’s stomach twice, nipping at her abs after the second time. “What do you want?” she asks, her voice husky. 

She kisses up to Tobin’s breasts, then trails her tongue up her neck, finally planting a kiss on her mouth. Christen’s fingers ghost over Tobin’s dripping center as she waits for a response. 

“I want _you_ ,” Tobin groans, wishing her legs weren’t on either side of Christen’s body so that she could press them together for some relief. “Just fuck me,” she breathes. 

Christen kisses Tobin again, tasting her tongue as she inserts her middle finger into Tobin’s core deeper this time. Tobin moans into Christen’s mouth as she begins slowly sliding her finger in and out, relishing in the warmth and wetness. Her thumb makes idle circles over Tobin’s clit, and she allows Tobin to grind against her hand, matching the rhythm of Christen’s strokes. Tobin’s breath quickens as Christen begins kissing down her jaw to her neck, sucking on the spot where her neck meets her shoulder. 

“Watch it,” Tobin manages to rasp just before Christen slips a second finger into her core, slowing her rhythm to give Tobin a moment to acclimate. She feels Christen smile against her neck and Tobin rewards her with a loud moan as her fingers plunge deeper, curling against her walls. “Fuck!” Tobin yelps against the front of Christen’s shoulder, hands gripping her back. 

She continues moaning as Christen begins grinding her hips behind her hand, forcing her fingers deeper. “Oh my God,” Tobin gasps. She moans Christen’s name as her pace slows to a teasing crawl. Christen presses her thumb against Tobin’s clit, stroking and circling through her wetness as she watches Tobin’s face react. The soccer player’s back arches again as Tobin moans and gasps, and Christen smirks as she continues teasing, reaching out to trace Tobin’s hardened nipple with a single finger. Her fingers gradually move faster, still deep in Tobin’s core, with her thumb still pressed against her clit. 

“I’m so close, baby,” Tobin whispers, her breath ragged. She relaxes finally, her back flattening onto the bed again. 

Christen kisses her lips quickly in response, moving back down Tobin’s body. Her fingers slow for a moment as she places her head between Tobin’s legs again. Making eye contact with Tobin, she slides her tongue across her soaked clit before sucking it gently into her lips.

“Babe, _yes_ , oh my _God_ ,” Tobin manages to utter between moans, squeezing her brown eyes shut. 

Christen continues to pump her fingers in and out, slowly then a little faster and deeper, tongue lapping at Tobin’s clit. Tobin’s moans become louder and shorter as Christen pushes her toward climax. Her head rolls back and she grips at the sheets at her sides, loving how Christen feels inside of her. Finally, Christen curls her fingers once more and sucks Tobin’s clit between her lips. That’s all it takes to send Tobin tumbling over the edge, moaning so loudly that Christen reaches up with her free hand to try to cover Tobin’s mouth, remembering that Kelley and Allie are home. 

“Fuck,” Tobin breathes against Christen’s hand as her body relaxes a little, coming down from her high. 

Christen wordlessly slides her hand back down Tobin’s body from her mouth, interlacing their fingers at Tobin’s hip. She slowly slides her fingers out of Tobin’s soaked core, rubbing one over her clit one last time before she moves up Tobin’s body. She feels Tobin’s legs trembling slightly, and a quiet chuckle escapes her lips as she rolls off to Tobin’s left, their fingers still entangled at Tobin’s right hip. 

“Happy birthday,” she murmurs, kissing Tobin’s lips gently. Tobin parts her lips and deepens the kiss, tasting herself in Christen’s mouth. She lets out a weak moan, eyes closed as she tries to recover. Christen kisses her cheek and leans back onto her elbow, propped up so she can see Tobin’s face. 

“You’re perfect,” Christen adds, smiling down at the soccer player as she trails her fingertips over her toned body. She can’t help but smirk when she notices that Tobin’s lower body is still twitching a little. “Really beautiful,” Christen continues, her voice barely above a whisper, musing aloud as her eyes graze over Tobin's flushed face and warm, relaxed body. 

Tobin swats a few stray hairs away from her face and opens her eyes. She turns onto her side, facing Christen, and nuzzles into her collarbone. “You know, I thought birthday sex was too cliché,” she comments, kissing Christen's soft skin. “Until now.” 

Christen laughs softly and smooths her hand over Tobin's hair. Tobin is quiet for a moment and Christen can't see her face but she assumes that the birthday girl has fallen asleep. She stretches her arm out under Tobin's neck, and just as she is about to lie onto her back, Tobin pushes herself on top of Christen's body with a glint in her eye. She leans over and kisses Christen softly and deeply, reaching down to begin pushing her girlfriend’s jeans off her hips. 

“My turn,” Tobin says, pecking Christen's lips once more before moving down her body. 

Christen stretches her arms above her head, resting her hands in the nest of her hair. She moans softly as Tobin begins teasing her, trailing a finger across her center over her soaked underwear. 

“You want me,” Tobin comments, her voice growing husky again. She slips her fingertip beneath the edge of Christen's underwear, just far enough to feel her warm wetness. Christen moans, then whines as Tobin removes her hand completely, letting her underwear fall back into place. 

“I already had you, babe” Christen sasses, eyes closed as she braces herself for Tobin to continue touching her. 

Instead, Tobin lays her body over Christen's and captures her unsuspecting lips with her own mouth, kissing her once. She pulls back just enough to look Christen in her beautiful eyes. “Well now I get to have you,” she retorts. “Which is what I really wanted for my birthday all along,” she adds with a wink before grinding her hips against Christen, soliciting another moan from her lips.

**…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love your comments, and I hope you loved this chapter. ;)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a longer one, full of all the angst you could ever want. Enjoy!

Christen wakes up slightly startled as she tosses her hand across the bed, feeling nothing but cold sheets on the other side. She glances at the bedside clock to see that it’s still early in the morning, barely 8 o’clock. _Oh no_ , she thinks to herself, suddenly filled with dread. _Where is she?_

Christen forces herself to sit up in Tobin’s bed, shivering slightly as the cool morning air brushes across her still-bare skin. She pulls the sheet up around her front, glancing around the room to reorient herself. Christen waits for a moment, chewing her lip and hoping that Tobin will reappear. When she doesn’t, the dark-haired girl commits to getting out of bed to find her, worried that Tobin might be crashing hard from her birthday high. 

After tossing some stray clothes aside in the corner of Tobin’s room near her closet, Christen finds a pair of Nike shorts and a Carolina-blue hoodie to put on. She walks softly down the hall toward the stairway, trying her best not to disturb the rest of the house. Christen nearly loses her balance on the top step as she pauses at the sound of murmuring voices behind one of the bedroom doors across the hall. She hovers momentarily, trying to discern whose voices she’s hearing and what the tone of the conversation might be. She’s able to catch a few words before sighing and heading downstairs to wait for Tobin, having concluded that her girlfriend’s voice is one of the two wafting through the door. 

“Tobs, I really think it’s fine,” Allie insists, her voice steady and soothing as she continues to rub circles over Tobin’s back. “I would expect no less of a freak out from you - actually, I’d be freaking out if you weren’t freaking out, but -” 

Tobin groans, swatting her hand in Allie’s general direction to cut her off. “I don’t want to be freaking out,” she mumbles, half of her face smushed into a pillow as she lies flat on her stomach across Allie’s bed. “I just don’t know what to say now. Like, we _just_ talked about going slow and I felt like I had all the time I needed but then…” she continues, trailing off as she huffs out a sigh into the pillow. 

“...then she showed up looking really hot and you were drunk and it was your birthday?” Allie prompts with a smirk. “Look, do you want my opinion?” 

Tobin nods and pushes her hair out of her eyes so she can look up toward Allie, who’s sitting against the headboard to her left. 

“I think it’s probably a good thing that you just went for it. You’ve been so stressed out since… _all that_ , and you obviously care about Christen. She definitely cares about you. Try to let it be a good thing, okay? The ice is broken and things can only get better, really. Plus, you haven’t even talked to her, and you bailed on her in bed this morning. That’s no way to treat a lady, Tobin Heath” Allie concludes, poking her index finger into Tobin’s shoulder. 

“Okay, okay,” Tobin mutters, pressing her palms into the mattress to push herself up and off the bed. Once she’s upright, she meets Allie’s slightly-concerned gaze with her own. “Thanks, Allie,” Tobin adds. “You’re right.” 

“You’re welcome,” the blonde responds with a hair flip, earning a chuckle from her friend. “Now go find her before Kelley wakes up and beats you to her.” 

Tobin shuffles out of Allie’s bedroom and toward the stairway, noticing on her way that the door to her own bedroom is ajar. _Shit, she’s already up. Great job, Heath_ , she silently reprimands herself as she heads down the stairs. 

“Morning sunshine,” Christen says from her seat on the couch, her voice slightly strained as she stretches her arms above her head, fingers widespread and back arched. Once she relaxes into her normal posture, a smile spreads across the dark-haired girl’s face and Tobin immediately breathes a sigh of relief. 

“Hi gorgeous,” the midfielder responds, her voice sounding more timid than she intended. Tobin joins her girlfriend on the couch, carefully placing herself close enough to Christen to avoid offending her, while also deliberately leaving several inches of space between them. “Sleep well?” Tobin mumbles, offering a smile as she settles into the cushions beneath her. 

Christen nods. “Missed you when I woke up, though,” she adds with a small frown as her eyebrows knit together in concern. When Tobin doesn’t appear ready to respond, Christen reaches for her hand, interlacing their fingers and stroking her thumb across the back of Tobin’s hand. Her green eyes flicker between their stacked hands and Tobin’s face, waiting patiently. She hears Tobin exhale, and looks up to find that her eyes are closed. 

“Tobin?” Christen softly prompts. “Baby… Hey, no, no,” she murmurs, immediately reacting as Tobin’s eyelashes become wet with tears from behind her closed eyelids. Christen brushes her fingers across Tobin’s cheek and jaw, catching stray tears as Tobin squeezes her eyes tighter, which only causes more tears to stream down her face. 

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Tobin finally says, barely above a whisper. “I didn’t mean to leave and I definitely didn’t mean to do all this,” she whines with frustration. 

“Come.” Christen taps her fingertips against her collarbone, inviting Tobin in. The brown-eyed girl obliges, her head immediately drooping toward Christen’s shoulder as she scoots closer on the couch. 

Tobin remains silent as she curls around Christen, willing the tears to stop streaming down her face so that she can say to Christen what she had been prepared to say. _You were so fine until you saw her. Come on_ , she urges herself silently, still frustrated. 

While Tobin struggles to collect herself - being in Christen’s arms encouraged her to fall apart further and faster than she had expected - Christen continues whispering to her girlfriend, smoothing her palm over Tobin’s tangled hair in an attempt to soothe her. Christen has what feels like a million questions, but she bites her tongue, afraid to overwhelm Tobin once again. Instead, she busies herself with soothing the girl in her arms, whose tears and sniffles seem to have ceased, in hopes that the sooner Tobin returns to her usual level of calm, the sooner Christen will have some answers. 

Tobin exhales loudly, finally back on track. “Sorry, Chris,” she mumbles, sitting upright from where she had been slumped against the dark-haired girl’s shoulder. 

“What’s going on up there?” Christen quietly inquires, tapping her index finger against Tobin’s temple. 

Tobin opens her mouth to speak, but she pauses as Christen’s assumption hits her. _She knows I’m totally over thinking. Otherwise, she would’ve asked how I’m feeling, not what I’m thinking. Oh God, and now I’m over thinking my overthinking._ Tobin blinks hard a couple times to halt her thoughts before they spiral out of control. Her eyes meet Christen’s finally, and she relaxes at the sight of her calm, curious green-grey eyes. 

“You weren’t ready,” Christen supplies for Tobin, realizing that her girlfriend is still struggling. 

Although her voice is gentle and her words merely an observation, Tobin winces slightly as Christen speaks. She remains unable to form all the words streaming through her own mind, and her gaze falls toward her lap. 

“I knew as soon as I woke up to a cold bed,” Christen continues, her eyes still glued to Tobin. “We don’t have to talk about it, but I’m so sorry, Tobin. I didn’t…” she trails off, unsure of the best way to continue without any response from her girlfriend. She reaches for Tobin’s hand once more, and her stomach drops slightly when Tobin’s fingers twitch away from her. 

“I’m sorry, too,” Tobin finally utters, still staring at her lap, now hyper-aware of Christen’s rejected hand resting near her knee. “I guess I could have said something, or like, stopped, but I - don’t get me wrong, Chris, I was happy. Like, it wasn’t… I _wanted_ to, trust me. So don’t think that you like -” 

“Seduced you?” Christen offers with a smirk, hoping to get a smile from her girlfriend. Her chest warms when Tobin’s lips indeed curl upward just slightly. 

“Sure,” Tobin concedes with a small shrug. “Anyway, you don’t have to be sorry. You didn’t do anything wrong - actually you did everything ri- No, um, just don’t worry. And you don’t have to take care of me.” She glances to her right, meeting Christen’s eyes momentarily before her own flicker back to her lap. 

Christen is taken aback and unsure of how to respond to the ticking bomb sitting next to her. “Um,” she mumbles, combing her fingers through the ends of her dark waves, pulling out last night’s tangles. “Okay,” she exhales. “Tobin, look at me.” 

Her words are momentarily lost as Tobin’s golden eyes meet her own. Christen takes another deep breath before continuing. “I want to take care of you. I’m your girlfriend. I can’t just bail on you - well, I could, but I’m definitely not going to. I just want to fix this, whatever’s wrong. Let me fix it,” she pleads, holding Tobin’s gaze. 

“I need a little bit of time, Chris. Not long, just like, I don’t know. Some time, okay?” Tobin allows her words to spill out quickly so as to avoid losing the courage to say them altogether. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles again. 

Christen sighs softly. She had expected as much. She knew that the only way Tobin could cope with this would be to shut down and shut her out. Still, all she wants to do is cling, to pull Tobin in and soothe all the stress and fear out of her. For once, Christen feels needed in a relationship, rather than simply wanted, lusted after, and here she is, shut out and unable to help. _She needs me. I could fix this, heal her_ , Christen silently insists. Aloud, she accepts Tobin’s request for time, while she mentally prepares herself for how painfully long even a few hours of such “time” will surely feel. 

“Not long,” Tobin repeats, her voice barely above a whisper. Christen nods even though she’s fairly sure that the phrase was only self-talk for Tobin. 

“I’m patient,” Christen states, sharing her own self-talk aloud now. “Remember?” She looks earnestly at her girlfriend, wanting nothing more than to wrap her arms around Tobin’s shoulders and kiss her until Tobin trusts her, lets her in to stay. 

Tobin nods now, her gaze breaking away from Christen’s yet again. “See you soon,” she says quietly. 

Tobin doesn’t move as she feels Christen’s weight lift off the couch, nor does she respond when the dark-haired girl presses a gentle kiss to the crown of her head from behind the couch as she returns from upstairs with last night’s belongings in tow. She stays frozen as Christen slips out the door. Tobin only moves once she’s sure that the car has been backed out of her driveway, and even then, her sole motion is to curl onto her side against the back of the couch. Her eyes immediately close, and within what seems like seconds, Tobin is asleep again, hoping that sleep will erase her concerns and pass enough time to be considered the “time away” she thought she needed.

**…**

As soon as Christen shifts her car out of ‘reverse’ and into ‘drive’ at the bottom of Tobin’s driveway, she calls her sister, the sound of her ringing phone filling her vehicle through its speakers. Tyler picks up on the third ring.

“Hi Chris, what’s up?” 

“Help.” Christen manages to nearly choke out a single word before her own tears well up as her throat tightens. She had held it together just long enough to get out of Tobin’s house and into the safety of her car before breaking down. 

“Honey, what happened? Are you okay?” She hears Tyler’s questions but between crying and driving toward home, Christen can’t manage to answer. “Christen? Tell me what’s going on.” Tyler’s tone is filled with concern and Christen hears her sigh into the phone. 

“I messed up, Tyler. I did it again - I moved too fast - except this time it was Tobin and I swore I wouldn’t let this happen but it did and she shut down on me and I don’t know what to do. For once I care enough to fix it but I don’t know how, Ty,” Christen’s rapidfire slows into a quiet sob as tears continue to stream down her face. She wipes her sleeve against her cheek - the sleeve of Tobin’s hoodie that she’s still wearing, still paired with Tobin’s shorts. “Damn it,” Christen mutters at the realization. 

“Go back, tell me what actually happened,” Tyler requests, her voice steady, commanding Christen’s focus. 

The dark-haired girl recounts the recent events of her relationship to her sister, drawing in ragged breaths throughout the brief story, still trying to calm herself. She parks outside of her apartment just as she finishes catching Tyler up. 

“Christen, I don’t think you did anything wrong,” Tyler offers as her sister’s voice finally trails off. “I know you feel like you hurt her, but it sounds like an easy fix…” 

“But she won’t let me fix it! She pushed me away, Ty. I know I could fix it, and I told you I want to. I really want to.” Tears begin to drift down Christen’s cheeks again. She inhales, which turns into more of a forceful sniffle, before continuing. “I care about her so much, Tyler. I’ve been scared every day that I might start messing things up. I’ve been so careful, and here I was, trying to give her the perfect birthday and I stopped thinking and -” 

“It’s okay not to think sometimes, you know,” Tyler points out, cutting Christen off before she can continue blubbering. Tyler knows that her sister tends to allow her feelings to spiral toward apocalyptic when something like this happens, and she knows that Christen needs some rational advice to bring her back to earth. “Like right now, you’re thinking too much. You know what she needs right now - time - and you know how you feel about her regardless. She’s not pushing you away to hurt you - you know that, too. What happened last night happened because neither of you were thinking about anything but each other and, Jesus, what’s so bad about that, Chris?”

“You’re right,” Christen mumbles, smirking slightly as details of her night with Tobin flutter back into her mind. She blinks them away, returning to the present. “Why are you always right?”

“Hey, you panicked. That’s fine, and it means you do really care about her, but someone has to talk you down.” 

“Okay,” Christen breathes, her eyes finally drying. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong. I have a feeling Tobin will say the same thing when she’s ready.”

“She already did,” Christen recalls aloud. Her forehead falls onto the steering wheel in front of her as she groans in frustration. “Oh Christen,” she grumbles. 

“See? Chris, stop worrying so much. You know how to do this. It’s harder than what you’ve been doing, but you can do this. Let yourself care about her and everything else will fall into place,” Tyler advises. Christen grimaces at the mention of her recent relationship habits, but her stomach flutters at her sister’s final comment. “I’m happy for you, Chris.” 

“Thanks,” the green-eyed girl mumbles, grateful to finally have her sister’s inadvertent blessing after nearly a year of fighting with Tyler over how “unhealthy and unrealistic” - in Tyler’s words - Christen’s one-night-stand lifestyle had become. 

“Hey, you know what she also said?” Christen begins, feeling a little more lighthearted now. “That I did everything _right_ ,” she continues before Tyler can respond. Christen wags her eyebrows in an attempt to up the implication in her voice. 

As if she could see the eyebrow wave, Tyler laughs out loud before groaning at her sister. “Too much, too much! Don’t corrupt me,” she jokes, still laughing. “Good for you, I guess.”

Christen’s giggles fade into a content sigh. Her hand finds the handle of the car door as she speaks again. “I’ve gotta go walk Morena, Ty. You’re the best - you know that, right?” 

Tyler grins into the phone. “Mhmm, only when I tell you how amazing you are. I know how it is, princess,” she teases. “Seriously, you know I’ve got your back.” 

Christen gathers her belongings from the passenger seat as she says goodbye to her sister. She feels steadier than earlier, but as she climbs the stairs to her apartment, a wave of exhaustion washes over her. _I hope Morena is cool with napping all day_ , she muses to herself as she digs for her keys outside her front door.

**…**

“Should I wake her up?”

“No! Let her sleep. She’s having a hard time.” 

“She can’t sleep all day! I wanna take her out with us to distract her.”

Tobin groans and squeezes her eyes shut tighter as she awakens from her nap to three hardly-whispering voices drifting over her shoulder from just behind the couch. “I’m right here, you know,” she complains, clearing her throat to get her friends’ attention. 

“Problem solved,” Alex says, sticking out her tongue at Allie who had insisted on allowing Tobin to continue sleeping mostly because she didn’t want to deal with the stressed-out moping that she knew Tobin would be doing otherwise. 

Alex falls onto the couch at Tobin’s feet, pulling off the blanket Allie had previously laid across her. “Come on, Tobs. Less moping, more shopping. Ash and I have the whole day planned. Right?” Alex looks over her shoulder to where Ashlyn still stands, trying to stay out of the Allie and Alex competition. “Help me,” Alex whispers sternly at the tattooed blonde. 

Ashlyn shrugs, sticking her hands into her pockets. Her eyes grow wide as a _What do you want me to do?_ expression appears on her face in response. 

Meanwhile, Tobin has pulled the blanket back onto her body, all the way up to her nose, and her forearm is draped across her eyes. “Nope, no way” she mutters at Alex. 

When none of the three women respond with further coaxing, Tobin’s suspicion grows. She lifts her arm slightly to peek into the room, but before she can ask any questions, the blanket is ripped off of her once again and suddenly, she’s being lifted off the couch entirely. 

“Hey! I said _‘no'_!” Tobin whines as Alex chuckles with pride at her plan. Tobin flails and complains as Ashlyn folds her at the waist over her shoulder. “Allie, come on, help!” she pleads to the blonde, who raises her hands in surrender from where she stands across the room. 

“Sorry Toby, but Alex won rock-paper-scissors fair and square while you were sleeping,” she admits, smirking slightly at her friend’s predicament. 

“It’s true,” Ashlyn clarifies, shifting Tobin’s weight as she carries her toward the front door. 

“Ash, you can’t put her down or we’ll never get her out of here,” Alex instructs as she collects Tobin’s flip flops, wallet, and cell phone from around the room. She appears behind Ashlyn, facing Tobin just as the midfielder gives up and relaxes against the blonde’s shoulder. “We’re going to have _so much fun_!” she reassures Tobin with a glint in her eye. “The birthday bash continues!”

**…**

“What happened?” Ali mouths at Alex from across the table, her hand held beside her lips to shield her question. She’s just joined the trio for lunch, having spent the morning training instead of “babysitting,” as Ashlyn had jokingly called it.

Alex casually taps a finger against her phone as she lifts it off of the table, indicating to Ali that she’ll text her an explanation. Meanwhile, Ashlyn returns to the group and snorts when she sees Tobin with her face buried in her crossed arms atop the table. 

“Need a drink, Tobs?” Ashlyn kids, reaching over to ruffle Tobin’s hair as she takes the seat next to Ali. 

“Tobin, we can talk if you want -” Ali offers softly, now in the loop after Alex’s long string of messages. Alex’s wide eyes and immediate head shaking causes Ali to cut herself off, though. 

“No talking, just distracting,” Alex explains in an adamant whisper. She rubs a few circles over Tobin’s back as she returns to coaxing her friend. “Hey you, you’re moping again,” she murmurs the reminder to Tobin, trying to be as gentle as possible without engaging in the “mushy feelings talk” that Tobin had vehemently opposed in a fitting room earlier. 

“I’m fine,” Tobin exhales as she finally raises her head. She pulls her waves up into a half-bun, tying it off with the hair band Alex hands to her. Tobin tugs with discomfort at the printed, short-sleeved button-down that Alex had insisted she put on immediately after purchasing it for her earlier in the day. 

_“I dragged you out of the house in your pajamas, so the least I can do is buy you something nicer to put on,” Alex had explained matter-of-factly as she picked out several outfits for Tobin, holding her hand and tugging her along through store after store._

_“Actually, Ashlyn carried me,” Tobin muttered in response. She had followed along with the two women all day, forcing a smile here and there and agreeing when Alex asked if something looked good. Really, all Tobin wanted was to be in bed at home, but she knew being in her bed would definitely remind her of Christen and she was already having the hardest time not thinking about Christen…_

A few minutes later, after several failed conversation-starting attempts from both Ali and Ashlyn, the women eat their lunch in silence with only the sounds of the outdoor bistro floating around them. That is, until a familiar voice bounces over to their table, attached to a bright-eyed freckled face. 

“I found you!” Kelley exclaims, immediately looking left and right for a spare chair to drag over to the end of the table. She swipes a french fry from Tobin’s untouched plate as she sits, her other hand falling onto Tobin’s on the table. 

“Kelley, what…?” Alex begins, staring slack-jawed at the bubbly girl. 

“I saw the location on Ashlyn’s Instagram post, and I was in the neighborhood on my way home from training, and I knew you’d all be here, and I knew Toby needed some love,” Kelley rambles with a grin, swinging her legs in her seat. 

Alex glares at Ashlyn, who dips her head and raises her hands defensively once more, suppressing a chuckle at the whole situation. 

“If you were training, you definitely were not in the neighborhood, Kel,” Tobin mumbles, allowing her friend’s hand to wrap around her own. 

“Okay, you caught me,” Kelley admits. “But here I am, at your service!” 

Tobin can’t help but smile the tiniest smile at her friend’s perkiness. As if she notices Kelley’s charm working its magic, Ali chimes in.

“Good thing, Kel, because things were getting a little too blue around here,” the older brunette encourages with a smile. 

“I _knew_ it!” Kelley says enthusiastically. “Toby, eat so we can go play on the beach!” Kelley gently pushes Tobin’s full plate toward her, wiggling her eyebrows at Tobin, who snorts in response before finally picking up the sandwich Alex had ordered for her.

**…**

“She'll wait for you, you know,” Kelley mentions quietly as she paces down the shoreline with Tobin. The two left Alex to sunbathe on the sand, and Ali and Ashlyn opted out of the post-lunch excursion.

“I know,” Tobin mumbles with a nod. She tucks her hair behind both ears before pocketing her hands. Kelley kicks some water at her as they walk, still working to get a smile out of Tobin. She giggles when she succeeds as Tobin splashes her back with a grin. 

“She really, really likes you,” Kelley continues, keeping her voice soft and her gaze forward in an effort to keep things casual and keep Tobin calm. 

“Have you talked to her?” Tobin glances at Kelley, suddenly nervous. 

“I sent her a quick check-in text today,” the freckle-faced girl shrugs. “But I knew that way early on. Also, I, um, I may have mentioned to her why you freaked out…” Kelley adds cautiously. She chews the inside of her cheek as she awaits a response from Tobin. 

“She already knew.” 

“But she didn’t really know,” Kelley clarifies. “Tobs, why didn’t you tell her that the whole coming-out-then-breaking-up fiasco was around your birthday?” 

Tobin shrugs and her throat tightens slightly. She takes a deep breath, trying to exhale the emotions that are bubbling up again. “I didn’t want to stress her out, I guess,” she finally mumbles, looking at Kelley with uncertainty. 

“But now she feels like she ruined your birthday that was supposed to be full of make-up fun for last year’s nightmare.” 

“I just didn’t want it to be all about that, Kel. That’s why I told her early on - to get it over with so it wouldn’t be a problem later,” Tobin argues, her throat still tight. She rubs her hand across the back of her neck a few times, trying to relax the tension that has gathered there since the morning. “I’m not damaged. It’s just baggage and I’m over it.” 

The volume of Tobin’s voice dropped dramatically for her last statement, but even over the sound of the waves and other beach-goers, Kelley could hear the proclamation loud and clear. She stops in her tracks, catching Tobin’s forearm gently with her hand to stop her, too. 

“Tobs, that’s _huge_ ,” she points out, slightly astonished. 

Tobin shoves her hands into her pockets and stares at her feet for a moment, kicking water and sand around while she thinks. 

“I think it’s all because of Christen,” she admits, mostly to herself, but she gives Kelley a look after the words sink in. 

Kelley responds with an excited jab to Tobin’s bicep, a happy glow lighting up her face. “You gotta tell her your time is up, dude. You have to get back to her.” 

“I can’t do it _now_ ,” Tobin whines as they continue walking, turning back toward where they left Alex. “It hasn’t even been a day. She’s not going to believe that I’ve figured it all out in one afternoon of forced shopping with Alex. It’s gonna give her whiplash.” 

Kelley laughs. “You have no idea how much she misses you, do you?” 

Before Tobin can answer, Kelley passes her cellphone to her. “Read,” Kelley instructs, as Tobin begins to scroll through a thread of messages from throughout the afternoon. 

Christen: _How is she?_  
Christen: _Should I text her? Call?_  
Christen: _Probably neither, right?_  
Christen: _Kelley tell me what to do, I’m in over my head_

Kelley: _Sounds more like you’re head over heels ;) Give her a little longer. She’s coming around_

Christen: _Head over heels a thousand times over_  
Christen: _Ok I’m being patient but she’s upset and I hate that. I miss her and I wanna fix it_

Tobin’s cheeks warm as a blush spreads across her face, and she bites her bottom lip as Kelley reclaims her phone to type a response to Christen’s most recent message. 

Kelley: _Sending her your way_

“Now do you get it?” Kelley asks light-heartedly as she pokes Tobin in the ribs. 

All Tobin can do is nod. Her mind and heart are both overwhelmed by Christen’s caring concern for her. It’s still astounding to Tobin that Christen can manage to be so beautifully genuine and so, so patient with Tobin’s “moodiness” - as Kelley insists upon calling it - and indecisiveness and introversion, all while staying upbeat and loving. As Kelley and Tobin finally reach Alex’s spot on the beach, Christen’s message streams through Tobin’s mind over and over, and she can almost hear it in her girlfriend’s voice. _Head over heels a thousand times over._

**…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys have been killin' it with the comments - thank you so much! I'm stoked that you're loving this story, and I'm loving writing it, so trust me, it will go on. Keep 'em coming! :)


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobin and Christen continue navigating through their pasts and insecurities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being so patient, guys! I'm sorry for the long wait. Check the end notes for a little reward (as if a new chapter isn't enough). :)

Tobin anxiously shifts her weight from foot to foot as she waits. “Come on,” she mutters under her breath as she runs her free hand through her hair. Her hand is poised to knock once more when she hears the lock turn from the inside. Tobin’s breath catches as the door slowly swings open and she anticipates Christen’s bright grin and gorgeous eyes. Instead, Christen only appears confused, her brow furrowed and arms quickly crossing over her chest. 

“Oh. You’re not pizza,” the dark-haired girl blurts out, relaxing her posture and dropping her arms to her sides when she realizes, with surprise, that Tobin is at the door rather than the delivery she was expecting.

“I, uh -” Tobin begins, unsure of what to say in response to Christen’s not-so-welcoming start. She fidgets with the small bouquet of flowers in her hand, which she dropped to her side in slight defeat when Christen opened the door as she did. 

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting you,” Christen explains as she steps backward into her apartment, creating space for Tobin to enter. “Come, come,” she insists, pushing the door closed once Tobin is inside. 

Tobin holds the flowers out to Christen, suddenly feeling extremely nervous. “It’s kind of silly, but I brought you these. I don’t even know if you like flowers - I mean some people are too cynical for them, but I wouldn’t expect you to be, so -” Tobin cuts herself off as Christen takes the bouquet from her with a smile. She brushes her hands across her shorts and takes a deep breath, hovering in the entryway as she watches Christen carry the flowers into the kitchen. 

“Tobin?” Christen calls out from the kitchen when she realizes that her girlfriend didn’t follow her. “Oh, there you are. Hi,” the dark-haired girl murmurs, leaving the flowers half in the vase, half out on the counter to approach Tobin when she appears. 

Christen almost automatically walks until she is touching Tobin, planning to wrap her arms around her, but she stops a few steps short of being able to do so, hesitating. “I’m happy you’re here,” she offers with a genuine smile. Her curls are tied up into a bun but she twists a loose strand nervously. 

“Me too,” Tobin says finally, her features softening into a smile as she notes Christen’s anxiety. “I’m sorry for all this,” she adds, her voice wavering a bit as her own nerves persist. 

Christen’s smile doesn’t fade. “Don’t apologize. It happens, and I can be patient. I’m fine. Are you okay?” 

Tobin opens her mouth to respond just as another knock sounds against the front door. 

“Hold that thought,” Christen mumbles quickly, squeezing Tobin’s shoulder as she flutters past her toward the door.

While Christen receives her order, Tobin groans at herself, huffing out a sigh. _Stop with the nerves already, Heath_ , she silently whines to herself. _She’s your girlfriend, for crying out loud, and a damn good one. This isn’t a big deal._

“I thought you knew I was coming...” Tobin questions as Christen returns to the kitchen, having left the pizza box on the coffee table. 

Christen pauses mid-task, setting the two drinking glasses she came to retrieve down on the counter, still empty. Tobin notes the number as she brushes her fingers up and down her forearm, trying to still her mind. 

“I did, I guess,” Christen says slowly. “But I wasn’t sure if I should believe Kelley. I hated to think that she was urging you along, so when I didn’t hear it from you, I just…” she trails off with a shrug, offering Tobin a smile. “Are you okay?” Christen repeats, concern returning to her voice. 

“I’m better,” Tobin states, nodding slightly. She considers elaborating, but before she can piece together another thought, Christen leans against the counter behind her, stretching her arms out to either side and planting her palms against the countertop. Her right hand meets the empty glasses she set out, knocking one toward the edge of the counter. Tobin rushes across the small space, catching the glass as it slides off toward the floor. Christen exhales with relief as the glass is returned to the counter, then she chuckles softly at Tobin’s quick reaction. 

“What would I do without you?” the green-eyed girl muses, scanning Tobin’s face until their eyes meet. She holds her girlfriend’s gaze, causing Tobin’s stomach to flutter as Christen exudes her usual tranquility and happiness. 

Tobin’s shoulders visibly relax as a lopsided grin stretches across her face. She moves toward Christen, taking the two small steps required to close the space between them. Christen beams up at Tobin, grateful and relieved that she seems calmer and more present. Tobin’s arms wrap around Christen’s shoulders and the green-eyed girl inhales softly, breathing her in, as she snakes her own arms behind Tobin’s neck. 

“Please stay,” Christen murmurs over Tobin’s shoulder, squeezing the soccer player slightly to keep her as close as possible. She feels Tobin’s chin dig into her shoulder as she nods in response. 

When her favorite green-grey eyes meet her own, their bodies still connected by their arms, Tobin’s pulse quickens and her body warms. She searches Christen’s eyes, curious as to why the dark-haired girl leaned back to look at her in the first place. When Christen’s mouth opens, then closes without a word as her teeth pull her bottom lip in, Tobin chuckles softly. 

“Cat got your tongue, babe?” Tobin teases, sliding her hands down over Christen’s shoulder blades, tickling her spine slightly. 

Christen grins, feeling shy - something Tobin frequently causes in her - and she shrugs her shoulders a few times in a row at Tobin’s tickling. “Nope,” she finally answers. “You’ve just got my whole heart.” 

“Oh, what a _line_ ,” Tobin whines dramatically, squeezing Christen’s ribs on either side with a glowing grin across her face. She presses a kiss to Christen’s lips, quieting her girlfriend’s giggles. “You have mine, too,” Tobin adds, her lips brushing Christen’s as she speaks. 

Their kisses continue, one becoming several more as neither woman wants to be the one to separate from the other just after their reunion. Finally, Christen gives in and comes up for air, her fingers tangled into Tobin’s loose waves. 

“Don’t you ever make me spend nearly 12 hours without you again,” Christen chides with an exaggerated expression of disapproval on her face that quickly dissolves into her classic grin. 

“Yes ma’am,” Tobin responds firmly just before Christen’s lips reconnect with hers. This time, the brown-eyed girl is the one to break away, to ask, “Wait, isn’t there pizza?” 

Christen rolls her eyes as she pulls back from her girlfriend. “You only came for the food, huh?” she jokes, kissing the tip of Tobin’s nose before releasing herself from her arms. “Come on, cutie.” 

Minutes later, pizza devoured - except for the olives that Tobin picked off of her slices, which Christen now munches on - Tobin’s arm is draped across Christen’s shoulders as the dark-haired girl’s head rests against her collarbone. Christen giggles at the show they’re watching from her laptop that’s propped on Tobin’s shins, her legs outstretched and heels resting on the coffee table in front of them. Tobin groans as Christen playfully reaches an olive slice up toward her face, nearly getting it to Tobin’s lips before she snaps her head away. When she turns back toward her girlfriend, Tobin melts a little at the sight of Christen beaming at her, her green eyes practically sparkling as happiness radiates off of her like rays from the sun. 

Though her face is soft with admiration, Christen still feels self-conscious as the object of Tobin’s stare. “What?” she mumbles, straightening her shoulders to sit up slightly. 

“I want to kiss you but you’ll taste like olives,” Tobin teases, breaking her silence. She laughs softly when Christen’s face falls into a pout as she leans over to return the plate to the coffee table, pausing the show on her laptop and sliding it off of Tobin’s legs before falling back into place on the couch. 

Before Christen can speak, intending to playfully defend herself, Tobin’s hands fall onto each side of her face, pulling her closer until their lips meet. Christen is slightly surprised when Tobin kisses her _hard_ , but she allows herself to melt into her girlfriend. As she kisses Tobin back, Christen hopes that the brown-eyed girl will understand from this kiss, coupled with all of the glances they’ve shared this evening, that she is forgiven, that she did nothing wrong in the first place, and that she has left Christen too speechless to really explain any of those things. 

As Tobin gently pulls back, her girlfriend grumbles quietly, suddenly afraid that Tobin might be planning to leave. Christen’s hands scramble to find something to hold - a hand, a knee, a fistful of clothing, anything - to anchor Tobin in her place. Once her hand firmly grips one of Tobin’s, their palms colliding, Christen shyly looks up to meet a pair of amusement-filled golden-brown eyes. 

“I’m not going anywhere, gorgeous,” Tobin reminds her girlfriend, using Christen’s grip on her hand to pull the dark-haired girl into her side. She hugs Christen’s shoulders with her free arm and presses a kiss to the top of her head. 

“Good,” Christen responds, her voice dissolving into a smiley yawn. 

“Just to bed with you,” the soccer player adds, chuckling when Christen rolls her eyes. Behind her teasing, however, Christen is pleased to know that Tobin’s sense of humor is still present, and she hopes that means that Tobin isn’t holding too tightly to her recent emotional rollercoaster. 

“Tobin?” Christen’s murmur breaks the comfortable moment of silence the two women had fallen into. When Tobin hums in response to indicate that she’s listening, Christen continues. “I'm a good listener, if you ever wanna talk about it, okay?” 

Smiling as her chest flutters, Tobin only nods as she leans over to press another quick kiss to Christen's head. “Thanks, beautiful,” she manages to utter. She relaxes into the couch, sighing happily as she feels Christen grow heavier under her arm. Tobin begins to feel that nothing else could possibly go wrong between them. _She stuck with me through this moody nightmare, so what else could happen?_ she considers, feeling comforted by Christen’s easy-going understanding and motivation to help and heal.

**…**

“Okay, tip at the cleaner’s. I heard you the first two times, Lex,” Tobin says hurriedly, trying not to cut her friend off. _How did I become her servant?_ she wonders as Alex finally ends her request-filled phone call. Tobin kicks her longboard up into her hand as she pockets her cell phone and hops quickly up the stairs to the yoga studio. She leans her board against the exterior wall near the door and glances inside just as she’s kicking off her flip flops.

Tobin’s stomach drops like she’s speeding down a roller coaster track. Her hand hovers over the handle on the glass door as her mind stutters in the process of deciding whether or not to enter. She commits to going inside the studio once she realizes she’s already been spotted. Although her head is a little fuzzy, she’s still able to note the anxious snip in Christen’s tone as she shuffles things around on the front desk while the woman leaning her elbows on the counter continues to speak. 

“You look _really_ good, you know. I can’t wait to get back into this with you,” the woman practically husks, her grin holding steady despite Christen’s full-body flinch when her fingers graze the instructor’s forearm. 

Christen’s eyes flicker toward Tobin in a panic that she’s trying her best to hide. Tobin hasn’t budged since she forced herself to step through the doorway, where she still stands, wide-eyed and heart racing. 

“Um,” Christen stammers, looking back toward the woman at the counter. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

Tobin’s feet feel heavy as if they’re glued to the floor, and her face contorts with confusion as Christen disappears around the corner. She thinks maybe Christen expected her to follow, but Tobin is frozen in place, eyeing the woman at the front desk suspiciously. 

The mystery girl is petite with salon-perfect blonde hair in a neat braid over one shoulder. Her fully made-up face clashes with her athletic outfit, Tobin thinks, and Tobin finds herself annoyed at how everything the girl is wearing or holding happens to match. Just as the soccer player starts to consider speaking to the woman, Erin appears from down the hallway. 

“Hi, Taylor, right? I can finish up what Christen got started for you, but how about an upgrade to our smaller classes that are more personal and challenging? Christen’s usually run pretty full so I think you’d be _much_ happier with one of these...” Erin’s persuasively peppy customer-service voice trails off as she passes a few sheets across the desk for the blonde to examine.

While Taylor considers her options, Erin looks to Tobin and jerks her head toward the direction Christen previously slipped off to. Tobin takes the hint, finally prying her feet off the floor and practically jogging down the hall in search of her girlfriend and an explanation. 

Tobin finds Christen exiting the bathroom, her face still dripping from the water she splashed across her cheeks when she escaped the situation in the lobby. Christen’s back is to Tobin as she steps into the hallway, so the soccer player speaks to get her attention. 

“Chris, what’s going on?” 

Tobin’s skeptical tone startles Christen, and she inhales and releases a deep breath as she turns to face her girlfriend. She opens her mouth to speak but Tobin interrupts her efforts. 

“Why did you disappear?” she asks, taking a few steps toward Christen. 

The intensity of Tobin's curious stare causes Christen’s heart rate to quicken dramatically. She gulps down another breath before finally speaking. “That's my ex, I guess.” 

Christen’s voice is low and the way she twists her fingers together behind her back - a nervous habit - tugs at Tobin's heartstrings. Before Tobin formulates a response, Christen gently tugs her by the arm out of the hall and into the staff room for some privacy. 

“I hope you're not upset. I swear I didn't like, invite her or anything. She just showed up and I haven't seen her since we ended it so she's got balls to come in and talk to me like that but I guess that's what -”

“Chris,” Tobin tries, her face softening from her previous skeptical stare. 

“...and I didn't know you were going to stop by today either and I know you're still kind of fragile. God, this is no way to protect you or take care of you, what am I doing? I'm the worst, I'm so sorry, babe.” Christen finishes with a sigh, finally pulling her eyes up to meet Tobin's with a look of self-disappointment. 

“Chris, all you did was talk to the girl. I'm not worried. I was just confused, that's all,” Tobin reassures her girlfriend as she settles her hands on Christen’s biceps to guide her closer. “I’m fine,” she adds, holding eye contact as Christen chews her bottom lip with a furrowed brow. 

Tobin can tell by Christen’s distant eyes that she’s still processing, so she remains quiet for a moment, unsure if the conversation is going to end or continue. Finally, moments later, Christen nods with a small sigh of relief. 

“Okay.” 

“Wait, go back. She’s your ex, _you guess_?” Tobin asks with a curious smirk. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Oh,” Christen starts. “I mean, um, we were never really in a relationship. Not like we are, you and I, you know? So we weren’t really on the same page, I guess, and it was hard to completely shut it down…” Christen trails off as she realizes that Tobin is staring at her, slack-jawed and confused by her rambling. “I mean, she wouldn’t leave me alone. It was messy,” she quickly concludes in a single breath. 

The green-eyed girl finally quiets, feeling her nerves calm down. Tobin’s laughter startles her through the moment of silence between them. 

“Why are you laughing?!” Christen asks, slightly confused and offended. 

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Tobin says with a residual grin as her laughter subsides. “You think I have the energy to be upset about your crazy, obsessive, sort-of ex-girlfriend after all of this other stuff?” 

Christen shrugs as her eyes drop toward her bare feet. 

“Chris, like I said, I’m not worried about it.” Tobin’s voice is soft and soothing now as she tries to ground her girlfriend. 

“I just worry about everything, okay? Everything,” the dark-haired girl mumbles. 

“I know. I’m gonna start calling you ‘Christen the _worrier_ princess,’” Tobin teases before wrapping Christen up in a hug. She’s rewarded with a giggle muffled into her shoulder, followed by Christen’s lips pressed to her jaw. 

“Still not going anywhere, right?” Christen murmurs the question with her cheek against Tobin’s collarbone as her hands slide over the soccer player’s shoulder blades. 

Tobin only nods and presses a quick kiss to Christen’s forehead. “I’m not but you are. Get back to work, you slacker!” 

“Just checking!” Christen defends herself with another giggle before slipping out of their embrace. She kisses her girlfriend’s lips and beams at Tobin once more. “You’re the best,” she adds quietly. 

“I know. Now get out of here! I’ll see you for dinner.” 

“Deal!” Christen agrees as she practically bounces out of the room. Tobin watches her go and chuckles to herself over their respective antics. As she leaves the studio and heads toward the beach to kill time until Christen’s shift is over, she thinks to herself that there’s no one else she’d rather be so confused by, worried about, or falling for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Share your comments if you'd like, but I'm also taking questions/chats over at tumblr.com/krashoheathqa now! I'd love to hear your ideas or predictions for this story, or suggestions for new fics, so get going!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A collection of important conversations...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lucky you! Another chapter so soon. Enjoy!

“Shoot, I’ll be right back!” Tobin practically squeaks as she scrambles off the couch, leaving Christen alone and confused in the spot where she had been snuggled into Tobin’s side seconds earlier. 

Tobin reaches her ringing phone on the kitchen counter just in time, answering it with a frantic and breathless “Hello?!”

Christen sits on the edge of the couch with the book she’d been reading all morning spread across her lap. Her eyes continue scanning the pages, though her mind is focused on Tobin’s voice as it floats into the room. She works to catch bits of the conversation from this end, curious as to what kind of phone call could have possibly caused Tobin to spring into action like she did. Tobin has been antsy anyway during the past week, still unsettled from their recent dramatic episodes, Christen assumes. This appears to be a different sort of anxiety for the soccer player, though, and Christen smiles to herself as she hears her girlfriend’s feet nervously shuffling across the tile floor as Tobin paces. 

“Yep, thank you so much,” Christen hears Tobin say with what sounds like genuine gratitude. The dark-haired girl is about to turn around to check on her girlfriend when Tobin’s voice, suddenly much closer by, surprises her. 

“That was _the call_ ,” Tobin explains emphatically, grinning as she falls back onto the couch to reassume her space next to Christen. 

“The call for what?” Christen questions, her voice thick with confusion. 

“For the next national team camp, babe - didn’t I tell you?” Tobin responds as she begins gently knocking the soccer ball she keeps underneath the coffee table between her feet from her seat.

Christen smirks at Tobin’s immediate increase in activity following the phone call. She considers it a personal achievement to get the soccer player to be quiet and still for any period of time, so she’s never surprised when Tobin’s urge to move reappears. This time, though, Christen knows that Tobin’s mindless motions are expressions of her satisfaction with “the call,” and of the usual focused eagerness with which Tobin approaches any upcoming soccer commitment. Moments pass before Christen realizes she’s staring at her busy-bodied girlfriend with admiration for Tobin’s humble personality and endless ambition. _Snap out of it!_ she silently commands herself. 

“Maybe I forgot, if you did tell me,” Christen mumbles to finally fill the silence. “Anyway, it was the kind of call you wanted, I see,” she adds, chuckling as Tobin’s legs straighten until she’s standing so she can pace around the living room with the ball at her feet. 

“Yep,” Tobin breathes, continuing to dribble in circles and other patterns across the room.

Just as Christen settles back into the couch, tucking her legs beneath her, Kelley’s head appears at the top of the stairway from the direction of her bedroom. 

“Toby! What time is it?”

“5:43, Kel,” Tobin calls back, her movements hardly faltering as she checks the digital watch on her wrist. 

“No, no, Tobs, it’s _camp time_!” Kelley corrects her roommate as she bounds down the stairs. “Hey! Hey, stop moving! Come he- Tobin!” 

Christen can’t contain her laughter as she watches Tobin dodge her roommate, nutmegging her near the television before almost tripping Kelley off her feet by the window. To regain her balance, Kelley grips the sleeve of Tobin’s loose t-shirt, at which point Tobin freezes. 

“A- _ha!_ Gotcha!” Kelley chimes proudly. 

“Foul, Kel,” Tobin deadpans as she knocks the ball back into its place under the coffee table. 

“No fouls in the living room league,” the freckle-faced girl fires back, sticking her tongue out. Christen giggles again, and Kelley continues making faces at Tobin’s back as she retreats to the couch. Tobin wraps both arms around Christen’s shoulders as she sits, pulling the laughing girl into her lap. 

“ _Anyway_ ,” Kelley drawls. “Let’s find Allie and celebrate camp while we can, shall we? You know, before our ten days of sweating and no parties...” She rambles as she begins tapping out a text message on her phone. 

“Ten days?” Christen grumbles, tucking her face into Tobin’s neck at her collarbone. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t have quit soccer during your pee-wee years, Chris,” Kelley teases from where she sits on the floor across from the couple. “Then you could join us.” 

“It’s not that long,” Tobin soothes, rubbing circles across Christen’s back as the dark-haired girl sinks further into her front. 

“I know,” Christen responds, her words muffled as her face melts into Tobin’s neck. 

As Tobin presses a kiss to Christen’s hair, Kelley bounces to her feet and into the kitchen, though not without a few faux gagging sounds at the couple. 

“Remember when I told you not to make me spend too much time without you?” Christen sasses, leaning back just far enough to see Tobin’s face. She gently kisses the soccer player before she can respond, leaning in and nipping at Tobin’s lip when she tries to pull back and pause for a breath. When Christen finally breaks away, Tobin smirks at her with curiosity and a raised eyebrow. “Just making my point,” Christen mumbles with a shrug. 

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Tobin insists, settling her hands onto her girlfriend’s shoulders and allowing her fingers to knead into the muscles beneath them. 

“That means you’ll also be gone before I know it.” 

“Guess we better make the most of it then,” Tobin retorts with a failed attempt at a wink, earning a laugh and another drawn-out kiss from her girlfriend. 

“Come on, you two! Dinner’s on Alex!” Kelley shouts as she takes the stairs two at a time to change clothes. 

The couple’s eyes meet as they shake their heads at their friend’s easily-excited demeanor. “I can’t focus on anything serious, good or bad, with that kook around,” Christen says with amusement. 

“Yeah, well, she’s just as bad on the pitch,” Tobin agrees as she allows Christen to pull her to her feet. 

“I wouldn’t know since I can’t pay attention to anyone but you when you’re out there,” Christen beams over her shoulder as she tugs Tobin by the hand toward the front door. Tobin follows her lead like Morena follows Christen with a treat in her hand, her cheeks warming as Christen pulls her in for one more kiss before Kelley appears behind them, shoving the couple out the door.

**…**

“Tobin, I haven’t seen you off the pitch in _daaays_ ,” Alex chides, trying to keep her voice in check so she doesn’t sound too whiny.

“I know, Lex, sorry,” Tobin responds half-heartedly as she continues helping Christen clean up the yoga studio so the two can go home for the mid-afternoon nap Christen promised they’d take after Tobin’s morning training session. Tobin tries to disregard the fact that Alex, once again, didn’t say “hello” at the beginning of their phone call. 

“You’re not even you when I do see you,” Alex continues with a huffy sigh. “You’re distracted again, you know?”

“Am not!” Tobin chokes, offended by the accusation as much as she is by the lack of greetings. “I’ve been on my game everyday.” 

“You lost the ball to a rookie twice yesterday,” Alex maintains. “ _And_ you kept miscounting my reps this morning, and -” 

“Okay, okay, you can stop,” Tobin groans with frustration as she drops the stack of yoga blocks she was carrying. She slips out of the studio while Christen’s back is turned - she wouldn’t have noticed anyway, as she’s taken to cleaning with earphones in so she can dance on her own without disturbing anyone else in the other rooms - so that she can continue talking to Alex. 

“I’m just saying I’ve noticed, Tobin, and everyone else will soon, especially with camp coming up,” Alex adds, practically snapping. Tobin can picture her best friend in her mind, knowing Alex is probably examining her fingernails with dismay as she scolds her. 

The midfielder gathers her thoughts before responding. _Those are all small things_ , she considers. _I wasn’t even mad about losing the ball..._

“Now you’re ignoring me?!” Alex’s voice is suddenly shrill and it startles Tobin out of her mind. 

_Oh, I know what this is_ , Tobin silently concludes. She’s seen it before, but it’s been a long, long time. 

“You’re jealous,” Tobin accuses, her voice flat. 

“What? Stop changing the subject. I’m concerned about your performance with camp coming -” 

“No, you’re not, Alex. You’re never this hard on me, even when I’m being hard on myself. Jealous Alex is coming out again, isn’t she?” 

When her friend finally falls silent on the other end of the line, Tobin sighs and rubs at her temple with her free fingers. “Seriously, Alex?” 

“I can’t help it,” the other girl defends, now completely whining. “I never get to see Serv and you live with our friends and practically with your girlfriend, too, and you keep skipping Talex time…” Alex trails off as she realizes that she must sound pretty pathetic. 

“You’re pathetic, you know that, right?” Tobin taunts light-heartedly, chuckling softly at Alex’s rambling. 

“You read my mind,” Alex grumbles. “Just promise me brunch on our camp day off and I’ll back off.” 

“We can even go to Sephora,” Tobin vows. “Hey, Lex,” she says, interrupting her friend’s victorious laughter. “I miss you, too.” 

“Aw, Tobs, you’re not the worst, I guess,” Alex retorts, and Tobin can practically feel her half-teasing, half-genuine grin through the phone.

**…**

Christen wakes up just enough to brush her hand across her face, swatting at whatever was tickling her cheek as she breathed - Tobin’s hair, she realizes after the fact. She turns over to snuggle into her girlfriend’s side, sliding her shoulder just under Tobin’s toned bicep so she can rest her head on the soccer player’s rising and falling chest. Christen smiles to herself against Tobin’s chest as she tunes into the sleeping girl’s heartbeat. She mindlessly presses her lips to Tobin’s skin over and over, but she regrets doing so when Tobin stirs moments later.

“Hi baby,” Tobin mumbles, her words almost incoherent beneath the sleepy rumble in her voice. 

“No, go back to sleep - this is nice,” Christen insists in a whisper. She squeezes her green-grey eyes shut and inches herself closer to her girlfriend’s body in an attempt to make the moment last; it’s their last weekend together before camp, after all, and Tobin promised Christen they could slow down and just enjoy each other. Tobin watches Christen’s act of denial with one eye half-open and chuckles quietly. 

Christen’s eyes pop open again when Tobin’s body becomes taut and quivering as she stretches her arms and legs straight out. She takes advantage of the soccer player’s open posture to glide her hands across Tobin’s abdomen, tickling her ribs. Tobin’s stretch breaks immediately and she curls against Christen’s hands, half-laughing, half-groaning. 

“So much for ‘go back to sleep,’” Tobin grumbles, turning onto her side to face her girlfriend. When she finally opens her eyes, the sight of Christen’s staring back at her causes her breath to catch in her throat. _This will never get old _, she muses.__

__“Hi,” the dark-haired girl murmurs before kissing Tobin’s nose._ _

__Christen squeals as Tobin moves rapidly to wrap her arms and legs around the girl, pulling her until Christen is positioned atop Tobin. “Hi,” Tobin responds once they’ve both stilled. The husk in her voice coupled with the sleepy half-smile on her face causes Christen’s stomach to flutter._ _

__Sitting up over Tobin’s hips, Christen shivers slightly as the cool air circulating through her bedroom draws goosebumps on her skin. She grins and hums happily when Tobin reaches her hands up and rubs them over the skin left bare on Christen’s shoulders and arms by the tank top she’d slept in. Christen then giggles and playfully swats Tobin’s hands away as the brown-eyed girl’s fingers trickle down from Christen’s collarbones to trace her breasts through her thin shirt. Tobin retaliates by wrapping her fingers around Christen’s wrists and pulling her down so their torsos are flush. Christen can feel her girlfriend’s smile as she stretches her legs out, allowing one to fall between Tobin’s as her weight sinks into the body beneath her._ _

__“Hey Chris?” the soccer player murmurs as she smoothes Christen’s curls with her hand._ _

__Christen hums back, waiting for Tobin’s words to continue._ _

__“I - um… Shit! What day is it?” Tobin sputters with a gasp._ _

__Startled, Christen rolls over to lie on her side of the bed again, allowing Tobin to regain her full range of motion. _And here we go, no more stillness today_ , Christen thinks to herself, amused by her girlfriend’s abrupt changes once again._ _

__“It’s Sunday, baby,” Christen tells her, nearly whining because Tobin’s about to break her promise. _We did make it this far, I guess_ , Christen allows. _ _

__“But what Sunday? I leave tomorrow, right?” the brown-eyed girl continues babbling as she sits up in bed and begins frantically patting her hands around in search of her cell phone._ _

__Christen sighs, flopping onto her stomach so her face falls into her pillow. “Yes, Tobin, tomorrow. You’re packed already so why are you panicking?”_ _

__Tobin doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, her feet drop to the floor and she continues the phone hunt as she tugs a pair of Christen’s sweatpants on over the boyshorts she slept in. Christen turns to glance at her and cocks an eyebrow when she hears Tobin stumble as she tries to continue walking while getting dressed. The dark-haired girl chuckles into her pillow as she wraps her fingers tighter around Tobin’s cell phone, which Christen had hidden under her pillow after Tobin fell asleep._ _

__The sound of Christen’s laugh causes Tobin to pause, finally. “It’s Father’s Day, Chris,” she points out with a hint of exasperation in her voice._ _

__Christen wordlessly holds Tobin’s phone out to her, giving in and allowing Tobin to break her promise for the sake of the phone call Christen knows she’s going to make._ _

__“I have to,” Tobin defends, gazing at the back of Christen’s head after claiming her phone. She knows she’s breaking all the rules they set for this weekend, but she also knows that Christen knows how important this is. “This could be my one chance…” Tobin murmurs, reminding Christen of their conversation the night before during which they weighed the pros and cons of Tobin reaching out to her parents once again._ _

__Christen remains quiet as Tobin dials her father’s phone number from where she is now perched at the foot of the bed. She had insisted to Tobin last night that calling could just hurt her more, reminding her of the breakdown she had with Alex on Mother’s Day. Despite Christen’s pleading, Tobin made the decision to call her dad, insisting that the holiday might cause him to be softer, gentler than he would be on any other day._ _

__“Hi Dad,” Tobin mumbles into the phone. Christen turns over to watch her girlfriend, wanting to observe the actions that accompany her shaky words so that she can step in and save Tobin when things start crashing down._ _

__“I’m okay. Happy Father’s Day,” Tobin continues as she starts fidgeting with the hem of her t-shirt, nervously twisting the fabric around her index finger over and over._ _

__Christen wishes she could hear the other side of the conversation, but based on Tobin’s behavior and tone, she figures that the man on the other end must be keeping things simple._ _

__“Yeah, it’s going well. I leave for another camp tomorrow.” Tobin’s flat tone, even when she mentions the upcoming training camp for which she has been so excited, practically shatters Christen’s heart. She wants so badly to wrap her arms around Tobin’s shoulders, to pull her back into bed and protect her from the hurt she’s exposing herself to, and to tell her not to let this drag her back down the way it did for so long. Christen doesn’t say anything and does her best not to move or make a sound, though, as the two had agreed it would be best for Tobin’s father to assume that Tobin was alone._ _

__“No, they’re home. It’s just quiet in the mornings, so I thought I’d call now…” Tobin supplies, and Christen recognizes the cover-up. She bites her lip as Tobin’s anxiety now feels contagious, thickening the air in the room._ _

__“Well, I -” Tobin begins another response, but cuts herself off with a flinch as Christen sneezes behind her, once, then twice._ _

__Christen mumbles “excuse me” out of habit, clapping a hand over her mouth after she speaks. “Sorry, sorry!” she whispers, realizing she’s just ruined their entire plan. _Way to go, protecting her_ , Christen chides herself mentally. _ _

__“It’s just Allie, Dad. She just came downstairs,” Tobin tries to explain, eyeing Christen with a mix of disappointment and desperation. Her shoulders slump forward and Christen immediately feels the defeat Tobin displays._ _

__“Oh, um - talk to her? Why?” the soccer player stammers, her eyes suddenly widening with panic. “No, I mean - um… No, Dad, Allie is here, but she just woke up and -”_ _

_Oh no, oh no_ , Christen’s mind scrambles. _This can’t be happening!_

__“Okay, okay, Dad, stop,” Tobin requests, her voice quivering more now. “Stop, listen. It’s not Allie, okay? Fine. Just quit freaking out. It’s really -”_ _

__Christen clears her throat and widens her eyes at Tobin, who just shrugs with a similar expression of uncertainty on her face._ _

__“Yeah, Dad. Yeah, it is. Her name is Christen,” Tobin admits. The volume of her voice drops significantly and her entire body tenses as she braces herself for a response._ _

__“Oh God,” Christen mutters, hiding her face in her hands. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” she continues, speaking mostly to herself as Tobin is practically paralyzed in another dimension at this point._ _

__“W-what? Seriously?” Christen lifts her head with curiosity when she hears Tobin’s tone shift to one of pure surprise. She finally allows herself to sit up and reach out toward her girlfriend, squeezing her shoulders in an attempt to relax her a little._ _

__“Okay, yeah, we’ll figure something out… Sounds good, Dad,” Tobin continues, staring straight ahead with the same wide-eyed, incredulous expression on her face. “Yeah, have a great Father’s Day. Okay, bye!”_ _

__Suddenly exhausted as if she didn’t just wake up from a full night of restful sleep with Christen by her side, Tobin drops her phone onto the bed and falls backward, conveniently landing with her head and shoulders draped across her girlfriend’s lap behind her. Her eyes fall closed and she breathes deeply several times, trying to get a grip on the conversation she just had. Finally, Christen can be patient no longer, and she asks for answers._ _

__“Tobin?” the dark-haired girl quietly prompts, brushing her fingers across Tobin’s cheekbone and over her jaw. “What on earth -?”_ _

__“He wants to meet you,” Tobin interrupts as her eyes fly open and return to their widened state of panic._ _

Christen isn’t sure how to feel or how to react. Blinking rapidly, she manages to stammer out a louder-than-intended “ _What_?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't be happier to have so many readers coming back for more chapters. I'll keep 'em coming as long as you guys keep up the encouragement! Remember, I've got a tumblr for questions, etc. now: krashoheathqa.tumblr.com. :)


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some more of the fluffy stuff you guys love so much. Enjoy! :)

“Guys, wait up,” Tobin calls out as she sits up on her surfboard. She stares down toward her feet dangling in the water as she waits for Kelley and Ashlyn to paddle back to where Tobin stopped. 

“What - what happened?” Kelley sputters as she approaches. 

“Nothing, Kel. Well, something, I guess. I’m just having a hard time focusing and I need to get it off my -” Tobin begins, her eyes still averted toward the water beneath them. 

“Well, spit it out!” Ashlyn teases, smiling through her words to soothe Tobin. 

“My dad wants to meet Christen.” Tobin finally lifts her face to look at her friends. She chews her bottom lip as their jaws fall slack at the news. 

“Why? Is he looking for a yoga instructor?” Kelley jokes, a little too eager to break the tension Tobin created. 

“Shit,” Ashlyn mutters under her breath in the middle of Kelley’s post-joke nervous laughter. She pushes her wet hair away from her face as she watches Tobin’s expression for some kind of emotional indicator. When Tobin’s flat expression persists, Ashlyn speaks up to break the silence. “He’s the one who wants to? Like you didn’t ask him to or anything?” she clarifies. 

“Right,” Tobin mumbles, nodding. She now finds herself wishing that she hadn’t brought this topic up in the first place. _I don’t need advice. I should just suck it up and let him meet her_ , she thinks to herself. She traces her index finger along the bright paths created by the stripes painted on the board beneath her, avoiding the conversation she started moments ago. 

“Sooo…?” Kelley prompts. She flashes Ashlyn a bewildered glance, having realized that jokes won’t get her anywhere in this conversation. 

“So I guess I’ll let him meet her,” Tobin finally concludes, her voice steady and stern as if she were agreeing to a business deal. 

“You’re sure?” Ashlyn asks skeptically. Kelley sighs at the end of the blonde’s question, not hiding her annoyance with this heavy talk on their one day off during this camp session. 

Tobin shrugs, watching the waves form in front of where the three women are stationed. “Couldn’t be worse than last time, right?” 

“Atta girl, Tobs! Now, let’s _go_!” Kelley practically shouts, hoping her enthusiasm will coax Ashlyn and Tobin back into the surfing mindset they had at the beginning of their day together. 

“Let me know how it goes,” Ashlyn adds sincerely, ruffling Tobin’s hair before she begins paddling after Kelley back toward the surf. 

Tobin sucks in a deep breath, willing her nerves to float away with her exhale. She has avoided bringing up this stress to Christen since Father’s Day, which hasn’t been too difficult since she left for camp the next day. She’s sure that Christen senses her upset, but the last thing Tobin wants is for Christen herself to be worried about meeting her parents, too. _My parents, my problem_ , Tobin has continuously coached herself. _I can protect her if anything happens_. She repeats it in her head once more as she follows her friends further out on the water.

**…**

Christen flits across her living room to reach her open laptop on the low coffee table, crouching down to click the green “answer” button just in time. She beams when Tobin’s face appears across her screen. She admires the few extra freckles that have appeared on her girlfriend’s tanned cheeks and nose from her time in the California sun, and her heart feels like it’s melting into her stomach when Tobin grins back at her through the screen.

“Hi, Chris.” Tobin’s murmur pulls Christen out of her admiration daydream and she realizes that she has yet to speak to the soccer player. 

“Hey, gorgeous,” she finally responds, settling into the couch behind her as she pulls her computer onto her lap. She absentmindedly chews her bottom lip as she watches Tobin tug a hoodie off over her head, the midfielder’s toned stomach peeking out from beneath her Nike t-shirt as she raises her arms. 

“How’s it going?” Tobin asks as she flops onto her stomach across her hotel bed, one arm outstretched in front of her to keep herself on Christen’s screen. “Chris?” she adds when the dark-haired girl doesn’t respond. For a moment, she thinks their call might be frozen, until she sees Christen shake her head to clear out of her mind whatever daydream she must have been having. Tobin chuckles as her girlfriend blushes from where she sits, alone in her apartment across the country. 

“Hi,” Christen repeats sheepishly, peeking out at her screen between the fingers she hid behind when Tobin caught her spacing out. 

“Ugh, I’m outta here. You two just wasted like, 15 minutes saying ‘hi’ all googly-eyed,” Kelley complains as she passes Tobin’s bed on her way out of the room. “Hi, Christen!” she calls out over her shoulder before exiting. 

“What was that?” Christen asks with an amused smirk across her face. 

“She came in when she heard I was going to call you because she wanted to talk to you herself, but I guess we grossed her out.” 

“Well, I can’t help but be distracted by you,” Christen replies matter-of-factly, punctuating the confession with her signature grin. 

“I don’t blame you,” Tobin teases, giving her an exaggerated wink. “So, um, I was texting with my parents during dinner earlier and -”  
“Independence Day at their place, I know,” Christen interrupts. “They want you to change your flight -”

“Hold on, how do you know?” Tobin asks, baffled. 

“Your mom sent me a really sweet email this morning! She said she found my info on the studio’s website and she wanted me to be in the loop,” Christen responds, her voice just innocently sweet enough to grind Tobin’s gears a little more. When Tobin groans and angrily flops over onto her side, hiding her face in one of the overly-fluffed pillows on her hotel bed, Christen’s brow furrows. “Is that okay, babe?” 

Tobin is quiet for several moments before her face re-appears on Christen’s screen, still disgruntled. “Yeah,” the soccer player huffs. “It’s fine. It’s good, I guess. They’re serious and really trying.” 

“Good, that’s what I thought, too,” Christen chatters, a smile returning to her face. “So can you have your flight changed so I can just meet you at your parent’s or are you gonna -” she continues, only to cut herself off when she hears a mumble from Tobin. 

“I don’t want you to get hurt, Christen,” Tobin quietly warns. She’s relieved that Christen seems to be looking forward to this whole thing, which means keeping her own worries quiet must have worked like Tobin wanted. Still, she’s afraid that her family could turn cold again - maybe not right upon meeting Christen, but they could change their minds later, shutting them both out again. Tobin isn’t sure she could handle another period of disconnect from her family. 

As if she can read Tobin’s mind from thousands of miles away, Christen gently responds, “I think we’re both more worried about you, baby.” She allows her words to sink in, watching Tobin’s facial expression shift from concerned to something more bashful, which indicates to Christen that she’s right. “I thought so,” she adds with a smile. “You do that.” 

“Do what?”

“When you’re scared, you try to turn it into worry about something else, or someone else, so you can protect yourself by protecting them,” the dark-haired girl explains. She watches Tobin’s face soften even more as she speaks, and all she wants is to be able to wrap the soccer player up in her arms so that she can do the protecting for once. 

“Listen, Tobin, I’m going to be thrilled to see you no matter where we are or who’s around. If it means your parents will be there, then that’s fine by me because my only focus is you. And they’ll get to see us at our happiest - isn’t that a good thing?” Christen’s breath comes out slightly ragged as she realizes she forced out all of those words in nearly a single breath like a confession she’d held in for too long. 

Tobin is quiet momentarily, contemplating Christen’s statement. Finally, she looks directly at Christen on her screen and chews her bottom lip through a grin. “You’ve always got the right thing to say.” 

“I think you what you meant to say was, ‘You’re the smartest, prettiest, sweetest person in the whole world, Chris, and I can’t wait to see your smiling face in a few days so I can kiss you in front of my parents.’ Am I right?” the dark-haired girl retorts with a giggle. 

Tobin shakes her head at her girlfriend’s jest while joining in on her laughter. Once the two recollect themselves and their breathing steadies, it’s Tobin who speaks up again. Her voice comes out lower and steadier than either of them expected, and Christen feels her shoulders instantly straighten a bit as she focuses on her screen. 

“Christen, I really -”

“Oh, babe, I have to go! My sister is calling and I missed her earlier so I’ve gotta pick up. I’ll check back in with you later, okay?” 

Tobin feels as if her entire body is deflating as she exhales following Christen’s interruption. “Yeah, okay. Talk to you later, gorgeous,” she agrees with a nod before Christen ends their call. 

Seconds later, Allie returns to the room, having left earlier to give her roommate some privacy. “You look like you’re about to be sick,” she comments as she passes by Tobin’s bed on her way to her own. 

Tobin rubs her hands across her face, muffling another frustrated groan. “Wait, were you just sitting in the hall, waiting?” Tobin inquires, having realized that Allie’s return was quite prompt after Christen’s call. 

“Maybe,” Allie says casually. “Tell me what’s going on.” 

Tobin sits up so that she can face her friend while they chat. “I keep trying to tell Christen how I feel, because, you know, I feel like it’s time, right? But then I get nervous and change my mind mid-sentence or we get interrupted and maybe I should just hold off…” Tobin rambles, trailing off with a slightly desperate look on her face. 

Allie chuckles. “You never were very smooth with words, Toby.” The blonde swiftly dodges the white pillow that Tobin sends flying toward her. “Okay, okay, you want real help, got it. Maybe just say it really fast? Ooh, or try to get her to say it first! Or you could text it to her before you say it in person. No, wait, don’t do that.” 

Tobin glares at Allie, unimpressed with her attempt at advice. “You’re usually good at this,” she whines. “I tried Ashlyn and Kel already today, and Alex will just tell me to suck it up.”  
“How about you hold off until after the whole meet the parents thing happens?” Allie suggests as she begins clicking through channels on the television across from their beds. 

Tobin perks up slightly then. “Genius,” she mumbles before breathing a small sigh of relief. Finally, she settles into her bed, reaching to grab her phone from where she dropped it after her call with Christen. 

“That’s all you needed?” Allie asks, her eyebrows raised. “Next time just say so.” 

She receives no response from Tobin, who is already wrapped up in her relationship again, this time via text. She scrolls through the messages she must have missed while talking with Allie.

Christen: _Call me back before you sleep? I wanna see you again._  
Christen: _… Unless you’re tired of seeing me ;)_  
Christen: _Also you didn’t tell me about surfing!_

Tobin chews the inside of her cheek as she thinks, _Yeah, there’s something else I haven’t told you either_. 

Tobin: _I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of looking at you. Give me 2 minutes_

The soccer player spends those two minutes turning the words over and over in her head and rolling them around on her tongue, testing herself to see if the time is right. Finally, just before she taps “call” below Christen’s name on her screen, she decides that she couldn’t stand not being face-to-face with her favorite person when she finally gets enough courage to say what she wants to say. Instead, she settles for the several strings of other words which float so naturally into their conversations now: _you’re beautiful, I miss you, don’t worry, see you soon, goodnight_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're loving the meet-the-parents suspense. ;) Don't forget: krashoheathqa.tumblr.com!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the one you've been waiting for!

Tobin spends the duration of the two flights that move her from training camp to her parents’ house imagining the various ways this weekend could go. She dreams up countless scenarios involving her parents and her siblings, from horrifying to heart-warming, but as Tobin exits the plane after her final flight, all she can think about is the grin that will spread across Christen’s face - and her own - once they’re reunited. 

Once inside the airport, Tobin heads for the first coffee shop in sight, hoping to find a quiet corner where she can wait for her girlfriend’s arrival. They made sure to book Christen a flight from Florida that would arrive shortly after Tobin’s flight in from camp - that way, neither of them would have to face the parents alone before the other flew in. She finds a seat near a window and tries to channel some of Christen’s signature patience, but soon her own jitters prevail and Tobin is suddenly pacing through the terminal, replaying drills and exercises from camp in her head to keep her mind at bay. 

Finally, nearly an hour later and right on-time according to their plans, Tobin’s phone buzzes away in her pocket. She opens the text messages as quickly as the device will allow. 

Christen: _Getting off my plane right now!_  
Christen: _Baby where are you? Stop moving like I know you are_

Tobin feels both her mind and body settle a bit as she begins focusing on Christen. She smirks as she types her response while still walking. 

Tobin: _I tried to be calm and patient like you. Lasted 30 seconds_  
Tobin: _Meet you by baggage claim?_

Christen: _I don’t need to claim any, remember?_

Tobin: _What about me?_

Christen: _Oh stop! See you there. Don’t sit on the carousels please_

Tobin: _Catch me if you can_

The soccer player has nearly reached the baggage area by the time she pockets her cell phone again. Knowing that Christen probably stopped moving to have that conversation because she hates to text and walk, Tobin continues to slowly pace through the crowds and their luggage, people-watching to pass the time. She spots a young girl with her tiny fingers wrapped tightly around the hem of her father’s shirt. The girl continues tugging on the fabric, begging the man to lift her up into his arms while they wait for their bags to appear, but the man insists that she be patient and help him look instead. Tobin’s mind begins to wander, but before she can think too deeply into her relationship with her own father and how it could change today, for better or worse, she feels a palm against the small of her back that quickly becomes two arms snaking around her waist. 

Tobin allows her backpack to slide off the one shoulder it was on as her breath catches in her chest at the sudden human contact. Butterflies bounce through her stomach as a familiar voice wafts into her ear from over her shoulder. 

“Gotcha!” Christen whispers excitedly near Tobin’s ear, squeezing her arms tighter around the soccer player’s midsection. “Missed you,” she adds as she allows Tobin to spin around in her arms so the two are facing each other. 

Unable to find any words for a response, Tobin can only grin at the sight of her girlfriend before pressing her lips to Christen’s for the first time in what feels like a long time. 

“Missed you, too,” Tobin finally murmurs after they part, her own arms having found their way around Christen’s shoulders. 

Christen smiles back, though her eyes hold a little uncertainty. “This is okay, right?” she asks quietly, her green-grey eyes meeting Tobin’s. 

“What, this?” Tobin replies before pulling Christen closer with a grin and planting a kiss on both of her cheeks. “Yeah, I don’t see why not,” she adds, pretending to glance around for whatever threats Christen must be worried about. 

“Just checking,” Christen chirps with a shrug, trying to play off her worry. She’d been thinking constantly during her flight about whether or not being affectionate toward Tobin in public would be okay in a different place with different people around. Her mind settles a little more when Tobin reaches for her hand after she recollects both Christen’s bags and her own from the floor where they had been dropped. Christen takes a step to her left so that she can kiss Tobin’s jaw as she sneakily snatches one of her bags out of Tobin’s hand with her free hand, earning a chuckle from the soccer player. 

Tobin is more chatty than usual behind the wheel of their rental car and Christen watches with a mix of amusement and concern as the soccer player’s left knee twitches and bounces along to Tobin’s nervous chatter. Christen had offered to drive with directions from Tobin, knowing that she hates driving, but she gave in after Tobin insisted for the third time that she was perfectly capable of getting them to her parents’ house. Now, Christen’s left palm is on Tobin’s thigh, her fingers gently kneading into the muscle there in a small attempt to soothe the ball of nerves in the driver’s seat. The dark-haired girl holds back a smirk as she looks Tobin up and down, noting her physical jitters and the speed of her breath as the combination of driving and the impending reunion with her parents sends her spiraling. 

Though she’d like to say “I told you so” in regards to Tobin’s current state, Christen instead suggests, “Baby, pull over.” 

“W-what?” Tobin stammers, glancing at Christen as if she just remembered the other woman was there. 

“Turn into that parking lot and stop,” Christen instructs, pointing at the large, mostly-empty lot in front of a shopping center to their left. 

Once the car is parked haphazardly across two spaces, Tobin turns toward the passenger seat. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” 

Christen doesn’t respond. Instead, she reaches over Tobin’s leg and under the seat to pull the lever that sends the driver’s seat backward, away from the steering wheel. She then unbuckles both Tobin’s seatbelt and her own and before Tobin can ask any questions, Christen has swiftly and smoothly settled herself onto Tobin’s lap. 

“I’m fine,” the green-eyed girl finally reassures Tobin. “But you’re not.” 

“But I -” Tobin begins, cutting herself off as Christen’s fingers knead into the tops of her shoulders. 

Christen smiles as she feels Tobin relax beneath her, and now she’s grateful that Tobin insisted upon upgrading to an SUV at the car rental desk in the airport. Before she speaks again, Christen relaxes her thighs on either side of Tobin’s so her sitting bones can settle onto the tops of the soccer player’s legs. As she leans back slightly, though, Christen bumps the horn in the center of the steering wheel. She squawks, startled, and Tobin begins giggling at her. 

“Stop laughing!” Christen commands through her own chuckles. She tries to put on a stern facial expression, but that only makes Tobin laugh harder. Enjoying the grin plastered across her girlfriend’s face, Christen opts to keep Tobin giggling by running her fingers over the girl’s ribcage beneath her t-shirt, eventually reaching under her arms to tickle her there, too. Tobin squirms beneath the dark-haired girl, laughing and blowing stray hairs out of her eyes. 

“Okay, okay! White flag!” Tobin manages to say between giggles. She catches her breath and can’t seem to wipe the grin off her face as her eyes meet Christen’s. 

“Feel better?” Christen asks, allowing her hands to rest on the warm skin at Tobin’s waist. 

Still slightly breathless, Tobin only nods as she leans forward to capture Christen’s lips in her own. The kiss is harder than Tobin intended, so she follows it with a series of softer ones, pressed to each of Christen’s lips individually, then to her cheek, jaw, and down to her neck where the series continues. 

Christen pulls her dark waves to one side, allowing Tobin’s mouth to continue traveling across her neck and collarbone. She inhales sharply when she feels teeth graze her skin, and her fingers find Tobin’s defined jaws to gently guide her head back up toward Christen’s. She kisses Tobin’s lips once before speaking to her. 

“Save it,” Christen murmurs, gazing directly into Tobin’s golden eyes. When Tobin’s bottom lips curls out into a faux pout, Christen chuckles and kisses her twice more. 

“But later we’ll be at my parents,” Tobin whines as she wraps her fingers around Christen’s wrists, trying to make her stay put as the dark-haired girl starts to move back into the passenger seat. 

“So?” Christen sasses as she crosses the middle console and bounces down into her seat. She gives Tobin a grin and pats her knee for consolation before turning the key in the ignition to encourage Tobin to move on. 

The soccer player huffs at her girlfriend, though she can’t keep up the pout for very long. She feels like she’s back on her own personal emotional roller coaster as she pulls out of the parking lot and back onto the road that will eventually deposit them in her parents’ driveway.

**…**

Christen flexes her hand and rubs her fingers once Tobin finally releases it to accept her mother’s hug. Tobin had held her hand so tightly as they walked from the car to the front door that Christen thought one of her fingers might pop off in the driveway. The tinge of sadness she felt for her girlfriend as she watched Tobin squeeze her eyes shut and inhale deeply before letting them into the front door has dissipated now that they’re being welcomed with literal open arms.

“And you must be Christen!” the dark-haired girl hears Tobin’s mother chirp, bringing her back to the present. Before Christen can respond, she’s being pulled into a hug of her own, after which she’s held at arm’s length while Cindy looks her up and down, grinning the same grin Christen loves seeing spread across Tobin’s face. “Well, aren’t you stunning?” the older woman comments before she releases Christen. 

“Oh, thank you,” Christen mumbles with a shy smile, and Tobin pinches her flushed cheek teasingly after her mother turns her back to lead the two toward the kitchen. 

Tobin cranes her neck into the living room as they pass it on their way toward the kitchen, then she paces across the kitchen to the back door, peering out the window before speaking. 

“Where’s Dad?” 

“Out,” is all Cindy offers, her back turned as she rinses vegetables in the sink. “He’ll be in later,” she adds, her voice cheerful. 

“Why isn’t he here?” Tobin prods with a furrowed brow. 

Christen turns her head back and forth as the two women talk across the room. Tobin hops onto a stool at the counter, nudging another out with her foot and patting it to encourage Christen to sit. Once seated, the green-eyed girl reaches her hand out toward Tobin’s lap under the counter, hoping to find her hand but settling for laying her own reassuringly on the soccer player’s knee. 

“He’s just running a few errands, Tobin. Don’t worry.” 

“He knew what time we’d be here,” Tobin grumbles. She looks over at Christen and mouths “sorry” as her shoulders slump forward slightly. 

“Maybe you can show me the house while we wait,” Christen suggests with a smile, trying to end the stress her girlfriend has been dealing with for too long now. 

“I think that’s a fine idea!” Cindy agrees, nodding enthusiastically at the two women. 

Tobin wordlessly slides off her stool, wandering out of the kitchen back the way they came in, hoping Christen is following behind her. The soccer player pauses in the living room, turning toward her girlfriend with a look of disappointment and fatigue on her face. Christen chews her bottom lip at the sight, wishing for Tobin’s sake that this could have gone as expected. 

“Baby,” Christen starts with caution. “It’s fine. He’ll be here soon and then that part will be over with and we can just have a good weekend.” She takes a few steps to close the space between them. Christen resists the urge to comfort Tobin with touch because she fears the golden-eyed girl might fall apart in her arms. 

“I’m afraid he’s avoiding it now,” Tobin mumbles. She slowly paces through the room, pretending to look at the family photographs and books on display while thoughts brew in her mind. 

Christen allows Tobin to meander for a few minutes, watching her calmly as she lifts up picture frames and replaces them only seconds later. Christen wishes there were a soccer ball in the room to busy Tobin with and she laughs softly to herself at the thought, which gets Tobin’s attention. 

“What?”

“Oh, nothing,” Christen says with wave of her hand. “Tobin, come here,” she adds, her voice soft and sweet. 

Tobin obliges, and as she moves closer, Christen reaches out and pulls her closer by her hips, wrapping her arms around the small of her back to keep her still for a moment. Tobin expects more verbal reassurance, so she’s surprised when Christen’s lips meet hers. Within seconds, her mouth is like putty against Christen’s and she melts at the warmth of Christen’s tongue against her own. Just as Tobin’s hands reach for her girlfriend’s waist, she hears the lock on front door click and her heart pounds faster immediately. 

“Fuck!” Tobin whispers as she slides away from a bewildered Christen just before the door swings open. Christen follows her gaze to figure out what has Tobin so startled, realizing it just as Tobin’s father appears in the doorway to the living room. 

“Hi, Tobin.” His whole demeanor is softer than Tobin thinks she’s ever seen, and her cheeks flush when she realizes how hard he’s trying to make things up to her. Her eyes flash between his hands, noting the sunflower bouquet in one and a box from her favorite hometown bakery balanced on his other palm. 

“Hi, Dad,” she manages to say, gulping down the small lump in her throat. She accepts his gifts, awkwardly looking for a place to set them down so she can loop her arm around Christen’s waist. Once her hands are free and she feels comforted by Christen’s warmth against her side, Tobin adds, “Dad, this is Christen, my girlfriend,” with the steadiest, surest tone she can muster. 

Christen maintains a smile as she shakes the man’s hand, offering a polite “it’s nice to meet you” in the process. Then Christen giggles as she notices Tobin rolling her eyes at her mother, who has been watching eagerly from the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. 

“Well, Cindy, what do you say we feed these two gorgeous ladies some dinner?” 

“It’s almost ready!” The announcement comes from back in the kitchen and Tobin slinks away toward her mother’s voice too quickly to be polite, leaving Christen behind entirely. 

Just as the dark-haired girl turns on her heels to follow Tobin, Jeff softly clears his throat to get her attention. 

“It really is nice to meet you, Christen. Thank you for making her happy again,” he says, clapping a hand onto Christen’s shoulder as they walk into the kitchen. 

Christen smiles and nods, unsure about how best to answer. She can’t imagine this cordial man being as angry and cold as Tobin described. Rather than dwell on it, she takes the seat next to Tobin at the counter, and her heart rate quickens as Tobin kisses her cheek. 

“You’re the best,” Tobin murmurs before she pulls away, her hot breath near Christen’s ear causing a flush to rise into the green-eyed girl’s neck and cheeks. 

Tobin notices and chuckles softly, quickly glancing toward her parents, who have continued preparing dinner together. She allows her fingers to lightly trace patterns over Christen’s thigh, following invisible stripes and swirls across her skin and trailing along the hem of her shorts. Christen glares at Tobin, both wishing that she would stop teasing and hoping that she’ll continue. Before Christen’s breath can quicken too much, Tobin’s hand pauses and she leans over to press another kiss to Christen’s cheek. 

“Good thing you’re patient,” the soccer player whispers against Christen’s skin, winking at her as she pulls away and hops off her stool to wander toward the food, bottom lip caught between her teeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's more where that came from. Remember, you can chat with me at krashoheathqa.tumblr.com so get over there! :)


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been writing this chapter for SO long, trying to make it right. I hope it's worth the wait I put you guys through!

“Tobin Heath, you were pretty quick to react to something as quiet as a door unlocking during our liplock earlier,” Christen teases from her spot on the guest bed. 

“Did you just say ‘liplock’?” Tobin retorts, scrunching up her nose as she slides into bed next to the green-eyed girl. 

“Explain,” Christen requests as she pokes Tobin’s side. 

“I’ve had too many close encounters with my parents during ‘liplocks,’” Tobin explains nonchalantly. She laughs when Christen swats at her bicep for her use of air quotes around Christen’s word of choice. 

“Hey, thanks for dealing with all my stress,” the soccer player adds, her tone much more serious suddenly. “I feel like I was worried for no reason after seeing that show of perfect manners from the both of them,” she continues with her eyes focused on her hands as she fidgets with her fingernails. 

“Don’t be silly,” Christen insists as she scoots toward her girlfriend under their shared sheets. “I’m so happy to be here with you - or anywhere with you - and you were worried for very good reasons, but now you don’t have to be.” She offers Tobin a warm smile as she slips her arms around the brown-eyed girl’s waist, squeezing her closer. “Now, how about you kiss me and forget about all of that stress?” Christen concludes, her eyes sparkling up at her girlfriend. 

Tobin chuckles, allowing her body to relax on her exhalations. Until now, she hadn’t realized how tense her body had become throughout the day, but with Christen wrapped around her, she can’t imagine a better way to relax. She melts into Christen’s arms, moving until their faces are parallel and pausing briefly to catch those green-grey eyes with her own before their lips are crashing together. 

Christen grins against Tobin’s lips as the soccer player lets out a soft, content sigh. She runs her hands over Tobin’s back, lightly grazing the skin left exposed on her shoulders by the tank top she’s wearing. Tobin continues kissing Christen, nipping at her bottom lip before gliding her tongue across it. She feels Christen’s grip on her torso tighten just slightly at the contact, motivating Tobin to continue. Her lips move up Christen’s jawline toward her temple then back down and into the hollow of her collarbone, where Tobin smiles momentarily as Christen hums happily. 

The bedside lamp has been off for perhaps a full minute and Christen’s hands have just found their way to the skin beneath Tobin’s tank top when the room is suddenly flooded with light again, this time from the hallway. Christen immediately freezes, but it takes Tobin a moment to notice the intrusion, her eyes closed and mind focused only on the girl beneath her.  
“Tobin!” Christen whispers urgently, swatting at her hip. 

“Tobin?” 

The second time she hears her name, Tobin’s stomach drops. The familiar voice comes in from the hallway, and Tobin moves back over to her side of the bed at top speed as she hears the sound moving closer. 

“I thought you weren’t coming until tomor- Oh!” Perry speaks absentmindedly as she approaches the room, dragging a small suitcase behind her. She cuts herself off when she reaches into the room to flip the light switch, fully illuminating Tobin and Christen. The soccer player is grateful for the protection of the sheets and blankets, hiding from Perry the location of Christen and Tobin’s entangled limbs and wandering hands. 

“Hi,” Tobin deadpans. She can’t decide whether to feel embarrassed or annoyed as her sister continues chatting. The soccer player glances at Christen, whom she’s almost certain has not moved since she first sensed Perry’s arrival. 

“Is this Christen?” Perry asks cheerfully. 

“Nope, this is my other girlfriend,” Tobin retorts, opting for ‘annoyed’ as her sister sits on the edge of the bed at their feet. 

“She thinks she’s funny,” Perry complains, looking at Christen this time. “Well sorry for invading your space, guys! Nice to meet you briefly, Christen! I guess I’ll sleep in the other -”

“ _Perry_ ,” Tobin whines, interrupting her sister as she throws her head backwards in frustration. 

Christen can’t help but giggle at her girlfriend, to which Perry responds, “I like her already, Tobin,” with a wink toward the dark-haired girl. “See you in the morning!” the older girl adds as she bounces off of the bed and exits the room. 

“Perry!” Tobin nearly shouts, her annoyance peaking. 

“Lights, got it!” the older woman yelps, swiftly returning to the doorway and flipping the switch again. “Don’t get carried away, you two. You are at Mom and Dad’s,” Perry teases as she pulls the bedroom door closed behind her. Tobin groans loudly enough for her sister to hear, earning another soft chuckle from Christen next to her. 

“I’m sor- “ Tobin begins, only to cut herself off as Christen’s arms immediately snake around her waist again, her hands shoving Tobin’s tank top up to her ribs. 

“Shh,” Christen whispers as she leans over to continue kissing her girlfriend. Christen nudges her knee in between Tobin’s, intertwining their legs as their lips meet. Moments later, Tobin sighs, and Christen realizes it’s not a happy one. 

“I can’t stop thinking about my parents being downstairs,” Tobin grumbles, answering her girlfriend’s question before she can even ask. 

Christen’s sigh turns into a short laugh as she watches her girlfriend pout in the darkness. “That’s okay, baby,” she reassures Tobin, pressing a kiss to her lips before relaxing into her side. Christen hums cheerfully when Tobin pulls her closer, wrapping her arms around the green-eyed girl’s shoulders. Christen yawns, and only moments later it seems, she’s asleep against Tobin’s chest. 

Tobin watches her girlfriend sleep as much as she’s able to in their current positions in the dark. She slowly brushes Christen’s dark waves away so she can catch a glimpse of the green-eyed girl’s peaceful face. Tobin instantly feels the urge to kiss Christen again, but she settles for snuggling closer to her, closing all the little spaces previously left open between their bodies. The soccer player forces her eyes shut, hoping to fall asleep as quickly as Christen did, but her mind is still too busy. Tobin knows that if she allows her mind to replay the day’s earlier events, she’ll only start stressing again and will never get to sleep. Instead, she focuses on Christen’s quiet breaths, working to slow her own to be in time with her girlfriend’s. _What would I do without her?_ Tobin mentally muses as her mind and body finally settle.

**…**

Tobin stirs at the movement and shifting weight she feels across the mattress from where she slept. She stretches her limbs and rubs her eyes open, reaching one hand across the now-empty space next to her, seeking Christen. Her eyes widen when she recognizes Perry sitting at the edge of the bed, facing her with an eager grin on her face.

“Not again,” Tobin groans, pulling herself up against the headboard so she can look at her sister. “What do you want?”

Perry extends a mug of coffee toward her younger sister. “For you to be happier to see me, first of all,” she retorts. “Second of all, spill. I need details. Where’s she from? How did you meet? Why don’t I already know all of these things?” Perry’s tone grows increasingly urgent, earning an eye roll from Tobin. 

The soccer player sighs as she sips her coffee. “You couldn’t wait until I woke up?”

“You’re lucky I didn’t interrogate you further last night! Come _onnnn_ , Tobin, _please_. She’s obviously better than the last one and Dad ruined my chances of hearing from you until now so -”

“Okay, okay,” Tobin cuts her sister off with her hands up in a surrender. She chuckles when Perry scoots forward with enthusiastic interest in the details of her current relationship. “She’s a yoga instructor,” Tobin begins, only to be interrupted by Perry. 

“What? Did your coach hire her for the team or something?” Perry jokes, implying Tobin’s lack of personal interest in most relaxing activities. 

Tobin frowns dramatically. “Do you want details or not?” 

“Sorry, sorry,” Perry answers, her tone hushed. She motions for Tobin to continue. 

Tobin swallows a sip of coffee before speaking. “I went with Alex to a yoga class like, I don’t know, four months ago, maybe. Christen was teaching and I looked like an idiot because I was immediately into her.” 

When Perry doesn’t speak, staring at Tobin with eager eyes, the soccer player continues, allowing herself to ramble about the start of this relationship which she’s now so deeply into that she’d nearly forgotten how awkward she felt at the beginning. “I couldn’t stop thinking about her, and Alex knew it, so she insisted we go back, ‘to try a new class,’” Tobin quotes, thinking back with a grin at Alex’s matchmaking. “Lex knew I wouldn’t make any moves so she -”

“Wait, wait, are you telling me that my little sister has no game?” Perry teases, jabbing her index finger into the front of Tobin’s shoulder. 

Tobin huffs out another sigh. “You know what happened to that. Anyway,” she continues, “Christen ended up filling in for the instructor of the new class Alex dragged me to, and by then I knew I was so hooked…” 

Christen pauses with her fingers entangled in her sudsy waves as her ears pick up Tobin’s gravelly morning voice over the sound of the shower raining down around her. She’s not usually one to eavesdrop, but the sound of her own name rolling off of Tobin’s tongue holds her attention and she moves slowly and quietly through the rest of her shower, trying to catch as many of Tobin’s words as possible. 

“...everything I need, you know?” Christen hears as she shuts off the water. “It’s like she just fell into step in my life, like she knew exactly what to say and do from the very beginning. She just fits.”

“Well, as lovely as it is to see you so smitten, you’re leaving out one detail,” Perry insists. When Tobin only offers her a clueless expression, she prompts, “ _Dad_?” 

“Oh…” Christen catches the subtle change in the tone of her girlfriend’s voice, even through the towel that’s now wrapped around her head and the door that separates them. She freezes in place, waiting for Tobin to say more. 

“I don’t know, Per, I think he was just being polite to make up for last time…” Tobin suggests, staring down into the half-empty coffee mug she’s holding on her lap. 

“You don’t think he’s really accepted it?”

“I mean, I _hope_. That would be ideal… But no, I’m not sure that he’s there yet. Maybe not mom, either.” 

Tobin’s words weigh heavily in Christen’s mind as she gets dressed. She knows that Tobin needs her support and strength to trudge through this conflict with her parents and herself, but Christen can’t help but hurt for her girlfriend, especially after having overheard her honesty with Perry. _Now what do I do?_ she wonders silently, staring at her reflection in the mirror above the bathroom sink as the conversation in the bedroom continues. 

“They’ll come around, Tobin. I think they’re trying really hard, because they love you and they know how awful this tension has been. You might have to help them figure out how to fix things, though,” Perry explains earnestly, punctuating her advice by draining her coffee mug. 

“What do you me-” Tobin starts to ask, cutting her question short when she hears the bathroom door swing open. 

“Hi,” Christen murmurs, slightly embarrassed by her own entrance. “Sorry for interrupting,” she offers nervously as she moves into the bedroom. 

Perry waves away her apology. “Oh, stop. Let me leave you two and go help Mom with brunch,” she says on her way out the door. 

“We’ll be down soon,” Tobin replies absentmindedly, her attention now solely dedicated to Christen’s presence. “Hi,” she mumbles, reaching out to pull Christen closer to her by her hands. 

Christen sits on the edge of the bed facing her girlfriend, allowing her hands to fall into Tobin’s lap. She squeezes Tobin’s knee in an effort to comfort her while she shifts her eyes across the soccer player’s face, trying to catch Tobin’s averted gaze. Finally, Tobin looks up at her, chewing her bottom lip to express what Christen guesses is confused speechlessness. 

“I don’t know what to say,” Tobin confirms with a shrug, her voice quiet. “I didn’t mean for you to have to hear all of that…”

“I know. I’m sorry,” Christen offers as she intertwines their fingers, tugging gently so Tobin will move closer to her. “You don’t have to know what to say or do around them, you know. They are your parents and that complicates your relationship enough, without me being in the picture.” 

“It’s just never been so complicated,” Tobin practically whines, feeling suddenly exhausted. “I don’t want to deal with it anymore. I just want to be with you, shamelessly, and they don’t even have to be happy about it. They just have to tolerate it, and me.” Her eyes meet Christen’s and she feels overwhelmed with emotions, from frustration to affection, so much so that she’s unable to maintain eye contact for very long. 

“Tobin,” Christen says quietly, lifting her chin up with a nudge of her free hand when Tobin doesn’t respond. The dark-haired girl inhales more sharply than she intended to while willing herself to continue speaking. Tobin stares at her expectantly. Christen bites the inside of her cheek to avoid sputtering out any “um”s before saying what she wants to say. 

Tobin opens her mouth to speak just as Christen’s words finally continue flowing. 

“I love you.”

Instead of closing her mouth wordlessly like her mind instructed, Tobin’s first reaction is to let her jaw fall further open. Everything within her chest is aflutter as Christen’s words and small smile melt together in her mind. She feels a slightly panicked flush crawl up her neck as she realizes that she should say something before Christen freaks out. 

“I’ve been trying to say that for what feels like _ages_ ,” Tobin blurts out, laughing nervously. A small sigh of relief escapes her lips as she takes in Christen’s grin and sparkling green eyes. “I love you, too,” Tobin adds before leaning forward to meet Christen’s lips with her own. 

“Now,” Christen begins, startling Tobin out of her happiness haze with a more business tone than she intended. “Let’s go have brunch and talk more later, what do you say?” the dark-haired girl proposes with a softer voice. 

“Okay, yeah, too much talking,” Tobin mumbles, tugging her fingers through her morning tangles. 

Christen rises to her feet and unwraps her damp waves from the towel atop her head, padding into the bathroom to hang the towel on the door. She pauses in front of the mirror to rearrange her hair with her hands and to take in her first deep, relaxed breath of the morning. She scolds herself mentally for putting off the conversation she knows they both want to have -- _Is it too soon? Are we rushing? When did you know? What does this mean for them?_ Christen reassures herself that it’s for the best to avoid questioning their feelings like they’re both apt to do. _Just feel it, no thinking_ , she’d recently coached herself while she worked up to telling Tobin. Sounds of Tobin’s restless fidgeting bring her back to reality, and Christen hurries back into the bedroom so the two can walk downstairs together, only after sharing a handful of kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget: krashoheathqa.tumblr.com! Thanks for reading! You rock.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TSiP is back, back again! Happy New Year, guys. Thanks for sticking around for over 6 months! I plan on keeping this fic going for a while still, so please, let me know what keeps you coming back in the comments, or inbox me on Tumblr!

Tobin’s stomach sinks as she processes Christen’s words. She tries to maintain a poker face, staring down at her half-eaten dinner, hoping that her family doesn’t notice her reaction. She exhales quietly as the chatter around her continues, feeling slightly relieved that no one seems to have picked up on her shift in mood as she thinks through what her girlfriend just revealed. _I’d really like to become the co-owner of the studio someday, yeah. Or maybe even own one myself, who knows?_ The words replay over and over in Tobin’s mind, complete with Christen’s cheerful tone.

 _Why hasn’t she told me that?_ Tobin wonders, her brow furrowing as she shuffles food across her plate with her fork. The sounds of the voices around her are muffled by her thoughts as she continues stewing. _We couldn’t move anywhere if she owns something. What if I get traded? What about overseas offers? What about me?_ Tobin’s thoughts spiral and she feels her heart rate quicken slightly at the stress. 

“Right, Tobin?” Jeffrey prompts, eyeing his sister suspiciously. “Hellooo?”

“What?” Tobin responds seconds later, blinking rapidly as she mentally checks back into the conversation. 

“I _said_ ,” Jeffrey persists. “You kinda own that field they named after you across town, huh?” 

“Oh,” the soccer player breathes. “Not really the same thing, Jeff,” she mumbles, nervously rubbing her palms over the fabric of her shorts. 

Jeffrey shrugs, bored with Tobin’s lack of response to his attempts. Tobin unintentionally tunes out again, her mind wandering again as the family continues chatting. She gives up on hiding her haze, leaning her chin into her hand with her elbow propped on the table. She reconnects to reality only slightly when she feels Christen’s fingers glide across the top of her thigh, her hand gently squeezing Tobin’s knee. 

“Do you want to go?” Christen whispers, leaning into Tobin to avoid disrupting everyone else. 

Tobin only nods without so much as a glance toward Christen. She rises from the table, mumbling to excuse herself as she carries her plate toward the kitchen sink. Christen catches up with her on her way out the back door, reaching another gentle hand out to catch Tobin’s arm. 

“Tobin,” Christen pleads. She’s still sometimes intimidated by Tobin’s mood swings, especially when the soccer player falls completely silent. Christen knows that her girlfriend is usually simply processing her feelings, seeking words for them, but as someone who much prefers to talk it out as soon as possible, she struggles to give Tobin the silence she needs. When Tobin doesn’t respond as she takes a seat on the steps that connect the deck to the backyard, Christen sighs softly. _This is a big one, I guess_ , she thinks, mentally preparing herself. 

“Okay, um, I’ll just - I’ll just be over here, okay?” Christen stammers, her nervousness increasing with each silent moment between them. She sits on the edge of the porch swing, stiffening her legs to keep the swing still. She fears that the motion coupled with her nerves might send her stomach reeling, so she stays still, breathing deeply to keep her mind quiet as she stares at Tobin’s back. 

Some minutes later, Tobin stands up, hopping up the two steps and pacing closer to Christen where she’s still parked on the swing. She chews her lip before finally opening her mouth to provide what Christen hopes will be a thorough explanation. 

“I can’t talk about it yet,” Tobin mumbles, shuffling her feet across the wooden planks beneath them, crunching leaves to fill the silence thick with Christen’s disappointment. 

Christen nods. “That’s okay.” Her words spill out too quickly as her nerves fail to dissipate. “Let’s just do something else?” she suggests, hoping they can salvage this day. 

“Yeah, let’s,” Tobin agrees with an attempted smile, turning on her heel to head back into the house, Christen trailing behind her, defeated.

**…**

“Ugh, I should have warned Chris that you’re a cold shoulder pro,” Kelley groans, sprawling across the foot of Tobin’s bed. “So then what? Did you just kiss and make up later?”

“Not exactly,” Tobin sighs, digging her fingers into her temples to rub circles into the tension that has gathered there. 

“Well?” Kelley prods, scrolling briefly through her phone’s notifications, as if she has already lost interest in the conversation that she started as soon as she realized that Tobin was home from visiting her parents. 

“We fough- No, it wasn’t a fight, at all. It was just an argument, a discussion even,” Tobin explains, her tone flattening as Kelley raises her eyebrows at her choice of words. “Just a discussion,” Tobin repeats. 

“Sounds miserable for you. Do go on.” Kelley’s phone falls into her lap as she regains interest. 

“I mean, there’s not much to tell, Kel…”

**…**

_“Tobin?”_

 _“Hm?” she hums in response to Christen, her eyes wandering as they sit together against a goalpost on the graciously empty soccer field, the_ Tobin Heath Field _sign in sight. Christen had asked to see the field when they chose to leave after dinner, but now she has other questions._

_“Why… Um, why can’t you talk about it?” Christen asks gently, glancing at her girlfriend. She chews her lip anxiously, almost wishing she hadn’t asked._

_Tobin is quiet for a full minute or so, weighing her response. When she finally speaks, Christen feels the sting in her words._

_“Well, you didn’t talk to me about wanting to settle down and own the studio, so…” she trails off bitterly._

_Christen’s brow furrows and she chews her lip as she thinks. She’s stunned, partially by Tobin’s tone, and partially due to the fact that she hadn’t even considered that she might be the reason for Tobin’s upset. Christen knows she should choose her words carefully now, so she hesitates a bit longer before responding, her eyes scanning Tobin’s silhouette next to her for any clues as to what she should say, if anything. She opts for the safest option._

_“I’m sorry.”_

_Now it’s Tobin’s turn to be caught off-guard. She looks straight into Christen’s eyes for what might be the first time that day. Her gaze is met by her favorite green eyes, filled with sincerity and worry._ Allow her to make it better _, Tobin instructs herself._ Get over yourself and fix it. __

_“You don’t have to say anything else,” Christen offers. “I get it. I wish I had gotten it earlier - I can’t believe I didn’t see it…” she mutters, half to herself, half as an explanation to Tobin. “You were instantly hurt and I didn’t notice until now. I’m so sorry, Tobin. I wasn’t thinking enough about you and about us.” Christen’s eyes meet Tobin’s again, and her mind reels to try and come up with more to say at the sight of the hurt pooling in her girlfriend’s golden irises._

_“You weren’t thinking about me,” Tobin repeats flatly. She hugs her knees up to her chest, clasping her fingers together across her shins. Her gaze moves to the horizon, watching the midsummer light fade from the sky._

_“No, at dinner, I wasn’t,” Christen justifies. “But the reason I haven’t told you any of that yet is because I_ have been _thinking about you and how that might affect you, and us. It just slipped out before I meant for you to hear it, babe.”_

 _Tobin exhales into a frustrated sigh as she processes Christen’s statements._ I hate having to do so much talking _, she silently complains._

_“If you don’t want to talk about that idea and what it might mean for us in the future, that’s fine. We can come back to it later. I just want you to know that I’m sorry, and I don’t want you to think that I don’t consider you any time I think about the future.” Christen’s voice quiets when she feels Tobin’s hand reach for hers, their warm palms melting together as Tobin slides her fingers between Christen’s._

_“I really love you, you know,” Christen murmurs as she scoots closer to her girlfriend. When Tobin finally turns to look at her again, she continues. “And I’m not going anywhere.”_

_The soccer player’s lips twitch upward into the smallest smile at the sound of what has become their mantra to each other. On an exhale, she drops her knees from her chest, allowing her legs to sprawl out on the grass in front of her. Christen watches her relax, smiling tentatively._

_“Unless_ you _go somewhere,” the dark-haired girl adds with a glint in her eye. “Then I’d have to follow you around like a lovesick puppy.”_

_Tobin laughs, her grin genuine as she pulls Christen closer, guiding her to straddle her outstretched legs. Christen beams down at her, and Tobin says all she wishes she could say aloud through a series of kisses instead._

__

**…**

“So you basically _did_ kiss and make up, you liar,” Kelley jests, swatting at Tobin’s shin from where she still lies at the foot of the bed. “Well, how was it with the ‘rents, after the initial meet and greet?”

“It got better,” Tobin says, thinking back to the later part of the visit. “Yeah, I mean, things were pretty normal. Chris charmed her way right in and-”

“Always does,” Kelley mumbles. 

“Yeah, she was the best. Yoga with my sisters, kicking a ball around with Jeff and me, helping Mom in the kitchen… She did more in a couple days than I’ve ever done at my parents’ house,” Tobin chuckles. 

“Well, Toby, good for -”

“There you are!” The familiar voice from the doorway startles the two women. They hadn’t heard anyone come into the house or up the stairs, so they’re surprised when Christen appears, falling into the open space on Tobin’s bed. 

“Sneaky,” Kelley says, poking Christen’s shoulder. 

“Your doors are all wide open,” the dark-haired girl points out flatly before leaning over to peck Tobin’s lips. “Hi,” she murmurs, giggling softly when Tobin nuzzles into her. 

“Kel, why are the doors open?” Tobin inquires, one eyebrow raised at her roommate. 

“There may or may not have been an incident in the kitchen that called for some airing out,” Kelley offers, shrugging. When Tobin continues to stare at her expectantly, she hops to her feet, comically saluting the other two women before marching out of the room and down the stairs. 

“You look nice,” Tobin comments as she quickly looks Christen over. 

“Thanks, I showered,” the green-eyed girl sasses, moving to straddle the soccer player’s lap, kissing her again. “Lunch date?” she proposes, smiling against Tobin’s lips as their kisses continue. 

“Mmm,” Tobin hums thoughtfully, running her hands lightly over Christen’s shoulders and back. “I’d have to shower first,” she explains, looking Christen in the eye as she dances her fingertips across her lower back. 

“I can wait,” Christen offers cheerfully, shifting her weight with the intention of moving aside so Tobin can get up. Instead, Tobin grips her hips to hold her in place. 

“ _Or_ ,” Tobin begins, kissing Christen’s jaw down to her neck between words, “you can come with me.” She punctuates her proposal by grazing her teeth across the green-eyed girl’s collarbone. 

Christen’s breath becomes choppy while Tobin’s mouth is on her skin. She pulls back to create a few inches of space between them, sinking on harder onto Tobin’s thighs to be able to look her in the eye. “I just showered,” she reminds the soccer player, whose hands have continued running across her back and ghosting over curves up and down her sides. 

“Well, we could stay out here, but then,” Tobin argues, “you might need to shower again anyway.” 

Christen laughs softly at her girlfriend’s retort. “I can’t argue with that.” 

“So don’t,” Tobin murmurs. She slides her hands beneath the hem of Christen’s tank top, pushing it upward as her fingers glide across soft, tanned skin, dipping between ribs until the garment catches under Christen’s arms. 

The dark-haired girl tugs the shirt over her head, her waves tickling her shoulder blades as her back arches at Tobin’s touch. She leans forward into Tobin, lowering her lips so they’re level with her girlfriend’s ear. She nips at it once before soothing it with her warm breath as she whispers, “First one to the shower gets to come first.”

Tobin bites her lip to reign in the moan that Christen elicits. She melts at the sight of Christen’s devious grin, and the green-eyed girl maintains eye contact as she leans back, twisting her arms behind her back to unhook her bra. Just as she slips it off her shoulders, Christen slides off the bed, flitting toward the bathroom with a giggle before Tobin can lay eyes on her. 

“That was my plan all along, gorgeous,” Tobin calls out to her over the sound of the shower beginning to rain down. Christen giggles once again and Tobin's teeth clamp down on her lip as she makes her way into the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, what keeps you coming back? This fic has been very loosely planned from the beginning, and while I could continue without feedback, I'm happy to incorporate your faves or ideas, too! Krashoheathqa.tumblr.com, or comment below. 
> 
> Also, check out my one-shot, if you haven't gotten to it yet! http://archiveofourown.org/works/9121102 Let me know if you'd like to see more, maybe different ships?


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for hangin' tight while I took a little break, guys! Hope this fluffy update turns out to be worth the wait. :)

_Come inside so we can plaaaayyy_ , Kelley’s text reads. 

That message is followed by several more of varying coherence, all of which Tobin ignores as she finishes rambling on at Christen about her day with Alex. They hadn’t intended to stay out at the firepit for so long after all the others had wandered back inside, but Christen’s eyes were perfectly reflecting the sparks next to them and her beaming smile practically outshining the blaze. Needless to say, Tobin was practically glued in place as she tried to continue talking to subconsciously make the moment last longer. 

“I would have been so embarrassed if you and Alex had played that trick on me during one of your first classes.” Christen’s sigh bubbles into a giggle to match Tobin’s laughter. “Your poor masseuses!” the dark-haired girl emphasizes. 

Christen had planned to stay home tonight, not wanting to disrupt the party amongst teammates in belated celebration of Alex’s birthday. Kelley had suggested to her yesterday, though, that she should be there because she’s “practically one of them now,” and Tobin would be “useless” all night if Christen were only available to her via text message. Tobin, of course, lit up when Christen mentioned this idea of Kelley’s to her, and Christen couldn’t argue her way out of it. Now, sitting with her legs tucked beneath her atop the blanket Tobin dragged outside for the two of them, watching the light from the fire highlight the soccer player’s soft brown waves, Christen can’t imagine missing out. 

Tobin’s fingers graze across Christen’s shin as she fumbles around to place her hand on Christen’s knee, trying to get her attention. Tobin’s eyes are turned toward the sky, and she only glances at Christen for a split second to make sure she’s looking up, too. 

“I thought I saw a shooting star,” Tobin mumbles, her voice barely above a whisper. She sits perfectly still, as if one small movement would scare the stars away. 

Christen’s smile grows wider as she watches her girlfriend rather than looking at the dark sky. She eyes the smooth skin stretched across Tobin’s throat, and she chews her lower lip as her eyes graze over Tobin’s straight jawline and down to the curve of her collarbone. 

Tobin slowly comes back to earth, her chin falling back down toward the ground, and as her golden eyes meet Christen’s, the dark-haired girl’s skin erupts in goosebumps. 

“You’re cold,” Tobin blurts out, already tugging the sleeves of her sweatshirt off of her wrists to give the garment to Christen. 

“No, no, I’m fine,” Christen assures her, rubbing her hands across her bare arms and legs to erase the goosebumps. She smiles to herself as she thinks, _Of course she’d never suspect it would be her causing such a reaction. She has no idea._

“We should probably go in-” Christen begins to suggest, cutting herself off when she hears the back door slide open across the yard from where the two are sitting. 

“Tobin Heath, get in here _now_!” Allie’s voice carries easily across the quiet space toward the couple, and Tobin laughs at the slight slurring she hears between her teammate’s words. 

“Alright, alright,” Tobin groans loudly in response, sighing as the sounds from inside the house are once again muted by the closed door. She gives her girlfriend a flat facial expression, disappointed that their time alone has to end. 

“You are here for _them_ , babe,” Christen reminds her, shifting her weight to lean closer toward the soccer player. She presses her lips to Tobin’s, humming happily into their kiss when she feels Tobin pull her closer. When they part, Christen murmurs, “You _do_ get to come home with me, though.” 

The soccer player perks up at the reminder of the deal the two made earlier that day: Tobin could drink and party with her teammates so long as Christen got to drive her home to her apartment and “take proper care of her,” as Christen argued. Of course, Tobin had happily obliged because to her, it sounded like a double-win. Christen had made the offer, though, because she likes feeling needed, so in reality, the plan was a win-win.

**…**

It takes the couple a few minutes to collect themselves, and once they arrive inside with their blanket folded under one of Tobin’s arms and Christen tucked beneath the other, they find the party in full swing.

Tobin freezes in her tracks on her way toward the couches at the sound Kelley’s slurring voice rise above the others around the open space encompassing the living room and kitchen of Alex and Servando’s home. Tobin’s eyebrows rise with the volume of her teammate’s voice as she moves closer to the group gathered around Kelley. 

“She’s really good, isn’t sh-...?” one of the team’s younger players starts to ask Tobin, hardly glancing toward the midfielder to see who had appeared where Tobin now stood. When the girl realizes it’s Tobin next to her, her mouth falls into a perfect ‘O’ shape and she waves her hands at Kelley frantically, hoping to halt Kelley’s impersonation game before Tobin sees any mocking of herself. 

When Tobin finally catches a glimpse of the backwards snapback atop Kelley’s head that accompanies her exaggerated low-toned voice, she smirks to herself and slips between Ashlyn and Ali to playfully grab the hat off her roommate’s head. 

“Toby!” Kelley exclaims, hardly missing a beat despite the interruption. The freckle-faced girl drapes one arm across Tobin’s shoulder, passing her a half-full plastic cup to sip from with the other hand. “That’s all folks,” Kelley calls out to the group over her shoulder as she ends her own little game. 

“I thought y’all were just gonna stay outside all night,” Kelley continues, still speaking too loudly as she steers Tobin toward the kitchen, where there appears to be another ongoing game. 

Tobin swallows one mouthful of the too-sweet juice-and-liquor mixture from Kelley’s cup before she passes it back to her with a grimace. “‘Couldn’t miss you making fun of me, Kel,” she retorts, wiggling away from her roommate’s grip. Kelley wrinkles her nose at Tobin and flits back into the other room, nearly running head-on into Alex on her way.

“There’s the birthday girl!” Tobin calls out as Alex approaches her, practically skipping with happiness. “You’re letting Kelley become the center of attention -- are you feeling okay?” Tobin teases, wrapping Alex into a hug.

“What? I’m great!” Alex responds innocently, clearly a little too far gone for Tobin’s sarcasm. 

Tobin chuckles and adjusts Alex’s “Birthday Princess” sash for her as they separate from their embrace. “Okay, princess, whatever you say.” 

“Where’s Christen?” Alex asks, holding onto the ‘s’ in Christen’s name for a couple seconds too long, earning another short laugh from Tobin. 

“She’s here somewhere,” Tobin promises, nimbly catching the open bottle of beer that Alex slides across the kitchen counter toward her. She slides up onto one of the stools next to the tall counter, sneaking a glance around the room until she spots a headful of dark waves across the room. 

“Wait,” Alex gasps, plopping dramatically onto the bar stool next to Tobin. “How was your _trip_?!”

Tobin feels a quick pang of guilt in her gut as she realizes she hasn’t talked to Alex all week, not even since she and Christen returned from New Jersey. She sips her beer as she stalls, trying to decide how to share just enough details to satiate Alex’s craving for elaborate, dramatic stories without it all being lost on Alex’s current alcohol-influenced state of mind. 

“It was _great_ , Lex,” is all Tobin can think up. She makes sure to look Alex in the eye with some feigned excitement to get her point across, but it’s not enough. 

“Great? That’s all?!”

“Yep,” Tobin replies, maintaining the pep in her voice. “I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow, okay? You’re missing your party!”

“Oh no, nuh uh,” Alex insists, gripping Tobin’s wrist before she can slip away. “Gimme just _one_ detail, c’mon!” 

Tobin chuckles at her friend’s persistence. “Fine,” she exhales, slumping onto the counter around her beer bottle. Suddenly, she thinks of the perfect quick fix to satisfy Alex for now. “One thing?” she prompts, laughing again when Alex nods rapidly like an excited child. “Alright, well -”

“Well?” Alex murmurs, unable to contain herself as she leans toward Tobin, almost far enough to slide off of her stool. She catches herself and giggles, waiting for Tobin to continue.

“We said ‘I love you.’”

“Shut _up_!” Alex squeals, bouncing to her feet. She wobbles slightly, reaching for Tobin’s shoulder to steady herself as her eyes grow wider and her cheeks pinker. 

Tobin takes another quick swig from her beer, nodding at Alex to confirm as she swallows. 

“Where is she?!” the forward wonders aloud, her voice still squeaky with excitement. She looks around the large space filled with their friends and teammates before her eyes finally land on Christen. Alex plants a wet kiss against Tobin’s cheek before she flounces across the room toward Christen, leaving Tobin laughing in her wake as she saunters behind. 

Tobin empties her beer in a couple more gulps as she follows Alex, realizing that she can, and maybe _should_ , catch up to her friends while it’s still early. She bites her bottom lip as she watches Christen indulge Alex’s enthusiasm, complete with bouncing on her toes to match Alex’s pace while they talk. 

The midfielder melts a little when she looks down and notices Christen reaching one hand out toward her, keeping it at hip height to be less obvious in order to avoid offending Alex. After abandoning her empty bottle on the nearest table, Tobin slips her hand into her girlfriend’s, wrapping her other arm around Christen’s waist. She settles her chin onto Christen’s shoulder as Alex’s excitement begins to wane, much to Christen’s relief. 

“I’m exhausted now,” Christen jokes once Alex is out of earshot. She tilts her head away from Tobin’s as she feels her girlfriend’s lips trailing along her neck and jaw. 

“Come sit with me,” the soccer player suggests, her voice soft as she speaks near Christen’s ear. 

Tobin leads Christen toward an empty armchair large enough for both of them, and just as she’s about to sit down and pull Christen onto her lap, Kelley pats a spot on the floor next to her and points at Tobin. 

Tobin wants to pretend she didn’t see Kelley, but Christen encourages her to go and join the circle of people gathered around a card game. Tobin sighs as she settles onto her knees next to her freckle-faced roommate, and she’s grateful for the full cup someone passes to her. 

“Vodka soda,” Kelley mentions as she leans forward and picks up a card from the floor. 

Tobin nods, watching a round of the game before joining in herself. Before too long, her head is abuzz and her face is warm and she’s not sure how many drinks she has had. The games that were being played around the house come to an end, music is turned up, and a few acquaintances say their goodbyes to Alex before trickling out. While the rest of the group carries on, dancing and wandering outside and back in, Tobin finds herself pulled upstairs to the master suite with Alex. 

“Help me,” Alex whines quietly, turning to face her friend.

Tobin chokes back a burst of laughter as she looks Alex up and down. “What happened?”

“What does it look like?” 

“Like an entire box of wine exploded and you were caught in the crossfire,” Tobin answers, still holding in her laughter. 

“Close enough,” Alex grumbles. “Now, help me. You’re the only one who knows where my stuff is.” 

As they work to wipe wine off of Alex’s skin, scrub stain remover into her clothes, and sift through her closet for a new outfit, Tobin remembers the guilt she felt earlier in the evening when she realized the increasing space between them. She chews her lip, trying to think of the right thing to say about it, once again. 

“Hey Lex?” she prompts as the forward gingerly lowers a clean t-shirt over her salon-created curls. 

“Yeah?” Alex answers absentmindedly, looking around the room for the wine-stained sash she refuses to be without for the sake of photos. Once she finds it, Alex slips it over her shoulder and falls into place next to where Tobin is already settled on the bed. Alex’s head swims as she leans back, and she closes her eyes. “What, Tobin?”

The midfielder sighs, having lost the energy to talk that she had mustered up moments ago. “‘Glad you’re excited for us, that’s all,” she mumbles, turning onto her side to face Alex. 

Alex nods. “Love you,” she mumbles as she curls onto her side. “G’night.” 

Tobin can’t help but laugh at her friend, falling asleep early on the night of her own birthday party. She brushes Alex’s hair out of her face and slides off of the bed, switching off the lights as she leaves the room. She feels tired, too, as she wanders back down the stairs, but she allows herself to be whisked back into the party anyway.

**…**

Tobin’s eyelids peel open one at a time, and she squints at the sunlight starting to flood the room. She’s startled by a crashing sound coming from somewhere outside the room she’s in, and she looks around before remembering that she slept at Christen’s last night. She flinches at the sound of another crash, which she decides must be coming from the kitchen. Her suspicion is confirmed when she hears Christen muttering to herself from the same direction. Tobin chuckles softly to herself, which causes a throbbing pain at her temples. She grumbles aloud.

“Chris?” Tobin calls out as loudly as she can manage. She’s surprised when the door opens almost immediately afterward. Morena leaps onto the bed, quickly wiggling toward Tobin and swiping her tongue across the soccer player’s face a few times before she lies down on Christen’s side of the bed just as the dark-haired girl appears in the open doorway. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Christen quickly apologizes. “I was trying so hard to be quiet for you.” Her brow is wrinkled with worry as she pads into the bedroom toward Tobin’s side of the bed. 

“Shhh,” Tobin soothes her, peeling back the blankets next to her, inviting Christen in. The soccer player groans again as she scoots backward toward the middle of the bed, making space for Christen. “My body,” she whines, causing her girlfriend to giggle. 

“You were _super_ fun last night,” Christen offers, smiling as she tucks herself in facing Tobin. 

“Oh, God,” Tobin complains, hiding her face against Christen’s chest, pressing her lips against the bare skin just above the neckline of her sports bra. 

Christen strokes Tobin’s hair, resisting the temptation to pull out the small tangles she feels to avoid worsening the soccer player’s headache. “I mean it. You were -” 

“Why am I wearing the Heath jersey that I gave you?” Tobin interrupts. 

Christen laughs aloud, sliding back to look at Tobin. “You insisted that a full kit makes the best pajamas,” she explains with a shrug. “So I gave you the closest things I could find.” 

Tobin flips the blankets off of her body to expose her legs and feet, which are indeed clad in Nike shorts and rainbow-striped knee socks. She snorts at herself before replacing the blankets and rolling back toward Christen. 

“Sorry,” she mumbles.

Christen only giggles, kissing her girlfriend’s forehead gently. “You didn’t see the best part yet,” she whispers as she tugs Tobin’s wrist out from beneath the pillows. She points to the soccer player’s bicep with a grin. 

“No way,” Tobin breathes as she looks down at her own arm. “Did I _make_ this?” she wonders aloud, knowing the answer as she pulls the knot out of the sock that she apparently tied around her bicep last night. She laughs as she traces the sloppy letters scrawled across the fabric in permanent marker to spell “captain.” 

Now Christen’s giggles are louder and approaching uncontrollable. Tobin squeezes her eyes shut and lets out one more groan before laughing softly at herself. “Why did you let me do that?” she complains, referring to the amount she must have had to drink the night before. 

“Oh, baby, you were _fine_ ,” Christen reassures her, wrapping her arms around Tobin. “Plus you were having fun, which you deserve,” she concludes, pressing several kisses to Tobin’s hair. 

“It’s a good thing you love me,” Tobin considers, her voice muffled against Christen’s body. 

“Yes, but,” Christen starts, kissing Tobin’s head, forehead, and face between her words, “do you know how _much_ I love you?”

“Hmm?” Tobin hums as she relishes in the feeling of her girlfriend’s lips pressed to her skin.

“So much that I already made you breakfast.” 

Tobin finally opens her eyes again, smiling at the proud grin spread across Christen’s face. She finds herself speechless as she takes in Christen’s messy hair, fresh face, and her typical morning brightness. 

“I know, I’m the best,” Christen teases as she rolls out of bed, offering her hand down to Tobin. 

“To say the least,” Tobin adds, pressing her lips to Christen’s once she’s on her feet. 

**…**

“Heath?” 

Tobin finishes unlacing her boots, leaning back against the lockers behind her once she slips them off. She’s startled when Allie appears in front of her just before she could close her eyes. She slides her headphones off and stares up at Allie expectantly. 

“Coach has been calling for you,” Allie says matter-of-factly while running a brush through her hair.

“Why?” Tobin wonders aloud, mostly to herself. Allie shrugs at her and helps her to her feet. 

“Sorry, coach, I couldn’t -” Tobin starts to explain once she’s made her away across the locker room. 

“No worries, Tobin,” her coach waves off her apology. “You just left something behind on the pitch,” he explains, motioning toward the exit door that leads to the field. Tobin looks between her coach and the door with a slack-jawed expression of confusion on her face. She doesn’t move even after the door is opened for her, but for a different reason this time.

“Hi, honey!” The familiar voices and faces across the threshold cause Tobin’s eyes to go wide and her stomach feels as if it’s flopping around. 

“Mom and Dad?” she mumbles, astonished. Tobin finally shuffles forward, her socked feet gliding easily across the floor to move her outside of the noisy, celebratory locker room. 

“Surprise!” Tobin’s father exclaims, grinning nearly as wide as his arms are spread. 

“You came to my game?” the soccer player asks, finally overcoming the shock. A grin slowly forms across her face to match those her parents are wearing. “How did I miss you in the stands?”

“Well we didn’t really _want_ you to see us, honey, because we thought it might stress you out,” Cindy explains as she pulls her daughter into a hug. 

“So we didn’t sit in the friends and family section, just in case,” Jeff adds. “But we did have the perfect view for your assists!” he beams. 

“I can’t believe you’re here, for a home game,” Tobin sputters. “A-are you sticking around?” With the initial shock dissipating, the soccer player is beginning to feel anxious about her parents’ presence. She has plans with Christen this evening, after all. _Where is Christen?_ she wonders to herself. 

“Just for a couple of days,” Cindy responds. “We just had a few days free and wanted a little getaway. Oh, but don’t you worry about us, we’ve got our own itinerary,” she quickly adds, sensing Tobin’s wariness. “You just happened to be a part of it!” 

The tension that had started to accumulate in Tobin’s shoulders disappears. “Okay, cool,” she exhales, trying her best not to appear too relieved by her mother’s news. “Well, um… Thanks for coming, seriously. Maybe we can have din-”

“Dinner tomorrow night? Yes, that’d be lovely!” Cindy interjects with excitement. “You choose the place and give us a call. Ooh, and bring Christen along, why don’t you? Our treat!”

Tobin’s brow furrows with suspicion at the eagerness in her mother’s voice. “Okay…” she responds hesitantly. “Yeah, see you tomorrow, I guess,” she confirms, forcing a smile. Tobin allows both of her parents to hug her again, only nodding in response to the _we’re so proud of you_ ’s and the _we can’t wait to see you two_ ’s. She waves back at them as they pace away, smiling and waving at her.

“What the hell?” she sighs aloud before returning to the locker room to retrieve her things.

**…**

“There you are!” Christen calls out from the window of her car. She starts the ignition and reaches across to open the passenger door for Tobin, staying stretched across the center console to kiss Tobin as she slides into the seat.

“What took you so long, baby?” Christen looks at Tobin with a little concern, brushing the soccer player’s messy, post-game tangles away from her face to get a better look at her. 

“My parents are _here_ ,” Tobin answers flatly. “Did you know they were coming?”

“Oh, um… Yes. Yeah, I did know,” Christen admits, wrapping her hand around one of Tobin’s. “They called me last week.”

“You’re quite the secret-keeper compared to Kelley and Alex, who they used to call,” Tobin comments. She chews her lip as she reflects upon the awkward interaction she just had with her parents. 

“There’s something else,” Christen practically blurts, as if she can’t keep it inside any longer. 

Tobin looks at her silently, unsure if she wants to hear it or not. “Okay…” 

“I think,” Christen begins, sucking in a deep breath before she continues. “I think that they think that you’re living with me already.”

Christen’s words come out so closely together that it takes Tobin a moment to process them. While she thinks, the only sound around them is the quiet humming of the car’s engine as it idles.

“Why would they think that? I live with Kel and Allie,” Tobin reasons. 

“Well, when your mom called me, you were asleep in my bed, and, um,” Christen tries to be straightforward but her nerves get in the way. “Um, I wasn’t thinking, and I just told her that I’d check with you about it when you woke up -- that was before I knew she wanted me to keep it a secret from you.” She exhales a shaky breath before continuing, hoping she hasn’t messed something up with Tobin once again. “So she asked me what I meant, and if you were there, and I couldn’t _lie_ to her, Tobin, so I told her you were, but obviously that meant you slept over because it was like, seven o’clock in the morning. She got really quiet and then she asked me how often you stay over, and again, I couldn’t _lie_ , right? I had to tell her the truth -- that you’re there most nights now. And she said, ‘Well, that’s news to me,’ just like that.”

Tobin stares blankly at her girlfriend for a moment before finally relieving Christen’s worry a little when she asks, “Wait, my mother called you at seven in the morning?”

Christen laughs, her cheeks pink from her uneven breaths during her explanation. She nods while laughing to answer Tobin’s question. 

“That sucks. I’ll tell her she can’t do that,” Tobin responds, her tone serious despite her girlfriend’s laughter. “Why does she always talk to you instead of me anyway?”

“Wait, so you’re not worried?” Christen asks, breathless still. 

Tobin shrugs. “Not really. I mean, if they ask at dinner tomorrow, I’ll just tell them 'no,' right?”

The dark-haired girl hesitates before responding. “Sure, yeah,” she shrugs, tucking her hair behind her ears. 

“You mimicked her voice pretty well,” Tobin adds, laughing softly. She glances at Christen and notices a subtle change in her mood. “What, Chris?”

Christen turns in her seat so that she is completely facing Tobin. Looking up through her dark eyelashes, she mumbles, “I mean, you could tell them yes.” 

“Yes?”

“Yeah, ‘yes,’ you live with me.” 

“Oh,” Tobin murmurs, considering Christen’s suggestion. Her eyes wander as she thinks, falling down toward Christen’s lap, where she’s wringing her fingers together nervously. Tobin smiles a small smile as she watches her girlfriend’s hands twist, realizing what just happened. 

“Okay,” the soccer player finally decides. “‘Yes’ it is.” 

Christen’s green eyes appear almost instantly brighter, Tobin thinks, and she exhales audibly. “Yes,” she repeats through a grin. 

Tobin is leaning toward her girlfriend for a kiss when her stomach growls loudly, causing Christen to laugh again. Their lips meet, both of them smiling, and when they part, Christen offers, “Let’s get some dinner, and figure it out then? You work best with food around.” 

Tobin frowns at the teasing, earning another kiss from her girlfriend. “You’re right,” she concedes. “But after dinner, it’s you and me in _our_ bed, alright?”

“Yes,” Christen murmurs, turning back around in her seat, chewing her lip through a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget, you can find me at krashoheathqa.tumblr.com. I've chatted with some of you there and I love doing so. Come on over!


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's your "perhaps slightly cliché content ahead" warning, along with a NSFW warning. ;) Enjoy!

Alex lets herself in through the front door of her teammates’ house, shaking her head to herself when she finds the door unlocked. She kicks off her sandals behind the door, letting it swing shut behind her. 

“‘Morning,” Allie calls out from one of the couches. 

“Do you know what’s going on?” Alex asks as she makes her way toward Allie, perching herself on the edge of the same couch.  


Allie smirks slightly at Alex’s habit of skipping the polite small talk. The blonde tugs her morning-jog ponytail loose as she shakes her head ‘no’ in response. 

Alex’s face falls into an unsatisfied frown and she looks around the room anxiously. “Tobin isn’t even _here_ …” she murmurs, mostly to herself. 

Allie glances at her watch before speaking. “3, 2, 1…” she counts off slowly, having heard Tobin’s frantic footsteps moving toward the stairway. Just an instant after Allie finishes counting down, Tobin does appear at the top of the stairs. 

The midfielder practically crashes down the steps, looking clearly flustered as she slides on her socks into the living room to join Alex and Allie. Tobin exhales loudly as she brushes her hair away from her face so she can look at her friends. Her brown eyes flicker from Alex to Allie to the empty couch next to them, and back again.

“Where’s Kelley?” Tobin whines, tossing her hands in the air. 

Alex groans while Allie tosses a soccer ball toward Tobin’s feet, hurriedly insisting, “Doesn’t matter! The ball’s in your court, now spill!” 

Both Alex and Allie focus on Tobin, their eyes wide with anticipation. They both know, without having talked to each other, that this must be big news. Allie clears her throat once to encourage Tobin to speak.

Meanwhile, Tobin has begun juggling the ball between her feet, stalling until Kelley arrives because she knows that Kelley might relieve the current tension in the atmosphere created by the intensity of Alex and Allie together. Like clockwork, Kelley does appear, bounding in through the front door without bothering to be quiet. 

“I’m _not_ late!” the freckle-faced woman exclaims, pointing at her watch emphatically. Her face falls slightly as she notices that she is, in fact, seven minutes late. “Shit, but it was just…” she mutters to herself, recounting the morning’s events in her mind in an attempt to determine how time got away from her once again. 

Allie chuckles at her roommate. “Whatever, Kel, just come sit and hear Tobin out.”

Kelley sighs to herself as she slinks toward the couches, flopping backward onto the empty one. She tosses a paper bag onto the coffee table, which lands with a slight thud. “Sorry, Tobs. I brought doughnuts, at least,” Kelley shrugs, her face wrinkled with an apologetic look.

Tobin gives Kelley a lopsided smile, reassuring her before continuing. “No big deal, Kel. Anyway,” she inhales. “I want to tell you guys something, and -”

“No shit,” Alex mutters with impatience. Allie jabs her upper arm in response, waving her hand at Tobin to encourage her to continue. 

“And I’m telling you all together so that I don’t have to hear complaints about who got to know first,” Tobin chides, widening her eyes at Alex and Allie, which earns her a giggle from Kelley off to the side. 

Both the blonde and the brunette in front of Tobin frown at her, sighing and grumbling to themselves quietly. Tobin bites back a chuckle at her friends’ dramatics.

“I’m moving in with Christen,” she states, trying her best not to rush the words together because of her nerves. Tobin immediately glances between the three faces in front of her, waiting for someone to react.

Kelley is bouncing in her seat and clapping her hands before Tobin’s eyes even fall upon her. “I _knew_ it! Yay! Now Chris won’t be such a lonely little dog lady over there by herself!” 

Tobin smirks at her freckle-faced friend before biting the inside of her cheek lightly as she glances back toward the other two women.

“Well, you already spend like, more than half of your time over there, Tobin,” Alex points out flatly. Allie nods at her in agreement.

“Yeah, you do, but now we’ll definitely never see you,” Allie whines.

“You mean when we’re not working together everyday, Al? And traveling together often?” Tobin reminds the blonde.

Allie only nods slowly with an exaggerated pout on her face.

“Wait a minute,” Kelley interjects, her syllables drawn out as she thinks aloud. “You’re taking all your stuff and everything?” she asks Tobin warily.

“Yes, Kelley, that’s what ‘moving out’ means,” Tobin quips.

“Okay, well I’m sad, but also, guys, hear me out,” Kelley says with growing excitement again. “There are _so_ many things we could do with Tobin’s empty room!”

All three of the other women roll their eyes in unison, which only seems to egg Kelley on. Tobin folds herself into a cross-legged seat on the floor in front of her friends, fading into her thoughts as the three continue discussing the fate of Tobin’s room. _That wasn’t so bad_ , she consoles herself silently. Tobin knows, however, that she’s likely to hear some more from any or all of them later on, once they’ve processed her confession. She sighs as she picks up her phone to check for messages from Christen, who is off from the studio today.

Christen: _Good morning from us :) We can’t wait to wake up with you everyday_

Tobin grins unabashedly as she opens the attached photo of her girlfriend in bed with one arm draped over Morena. Christen’s eyes are a pale grey with the sunlight peeking through her bedroom window, creating rays of light across her face and unruly waves. Tobin exhales softly, realizing she’d been holding her breath as she admired the photo. She types out a response quickly.

Tobin: _You’re definitely something to look forward to, sunshine. Meet you on the beach soon, right?_

At the sound of a throat clearing across from her, Tobin pockets her phone and lifts her eyes toward her friends once again. “What?” she blurts out, knowing she missed something. 

“When are you moving?” Alex asks with emphasis, clearly having to repeat herself. 

“Oh, uh… Soon? Next week maybe?” Tobin mumbles. She rubs a hand across the back of her neck, feeling her skin warming with embarrassment at her lack of a definite answer. “I don’t know, actually,” she admits. “I don’t have that much stuff, and Chris is ready, I think, so any time…” 

“Can we have a party?” Kelley wonders aloud, coincidentally breaking the tension in the room.

The other three women look at her pointedly before they all break into laughter. Allie answers between giggles, “Sure, Kels, we’ll have a ‘Good Riddance, Tobin’ party.” 

Tobin groans animatedly, gently kicking Allie’s shin as she continues laughing. She feels slightly relieved, having delivered the news to her friends, but Tobin’s brow wrinkles as she realizes that she and Christen have forgotten to discuss _when_ she’d be moving. Their chat over dinner last night was brief, and dominated mostly by Christen as she did her best to soothe all of Tobin’s worries before Tobin could even express them. Christen had gone over every possible scenario and concern she could think of, so rapidly that Tobin had had a hard time keeping up with her. Finally, Tobin had reached across the table, wrapped Christen’s hand in her own, and told her that they could deal with those things as they came up, just to stop Christen from projecting all those fears. 

With a deep breath in, Tobin rises to her feet, tells her friends she’ll see them later, and slips out the front door with a backpack thrown over her shoulder and her longboard tucked under her arm.

**…**

“I thought they were holding you hostage,” the dark-haired girl jokes as Tobin approaches her across the sand.

Tobin softly presses her lips to Christen’s, moving to kiss her forehead and each of her cheeks before responding. “No, quite the opposite,” she explains with a serious tone that surprises Christen. “They’re throwing me a ‘Good Riddance’ party,” Tobin concludes with a sly grin, waiting for her girlfriend to giggle at the punchline. She kisses the corner of Christen’s eye where it wrinkles when she does laugh in response.

“Well, then, I’ll throw you a ‘Welcome Home’ party,” Christen murmurs lovingly, nuzzling her face into Tobin’s neck as her fingers find and intertwine with the soccer player’s. “Just me, and you, at home, in bed, no clothes required, with wine,” the dark-haired girl continues, planting slow kisses along Tobin’s neck and collarbone between her words. 

Tobin feels her skin prickle with goosebumps at her girlfriend’s touch, and she shivers slightly as Christen’s breath grazes across the damp, newly-kissed spots on her skin. Tobin gently tugs on Christen’s hand in a weak attempt to regain the other woman’s attention.

“Chris,” she mumbles as Christen’s lips continue moving across her skin. “Baby,” Tobin insists, her tone a little louder and more urgent this time. Finally, Christen pulls back, locking her eyes with Tobin’s. 

“You’ll be giving me that ‘Welcome Home’ party sooner than you bargained for if you keep going,” Tobin gently states as she traces Christen’s cheekbone and jawline with her free hand.

“It looks a bit like I already did,” Christen muses quietly, pulling her bottom lip in between her teeth as her eyes trail across the red patches left on Tobin’s tanned skin. “Oops,” the green-eyed girl adds with an innocent shrug at her girlfriend. 

Tobin leans in to kiss Christen once more before taking a couple steps down the beach, pulling Christen into step with her. 

“Speaking of timing,” Tobin begins, working to add some pep to her voice as she refers to her previous comment. “When should I move?” 

Without missing a beat, Christen suggests, “When you’re ready.” She turns to look at her girlfriend as they continue walking, bringing her free hand to wrap around Tobin’s arm reassuringly. 

Tobin smiles to herself, turning Christen’s words over in her mind. She feels content to continue on in silence, squeezing Christen’s fingers with her own. 

“Even though I’m so excited for you to be there,” the green-eyed girl adds, “I can be patient.” She dances her fingers up and down Tobin’s bare arm, smiling at her girlfriend. 

Tobin remains quiet, mulling over her schedule in her mind. She knows it will only take an afternoon to move, but she doesn’t want to move in right before she’ll have to travel for soccer. _That would be such a letdown_ , she confirms to herself. With a national team friendly coming up in a couple of weeks, Tobin knows sooner is better than later. _Plus you want this, Heath, so don’t be a baby and put it off_ , she mentally warns. 

“Okay, babe, how about in a few days? Like, the middle of next we-” Tobin begins proposing, cutting herself off when her voice is overpowered by a shout just down the beach in front of the couple. She squints against the sun in an attempt to see the source of the sound. 

“Tobin Heath?!” The soccer player recognizes the sound of her own name, being called out once again, this time as it moves closer to her. She pauses in place, watching as three teenaged girls bound toward her, one with a soccer ball tucked beneath her arm. 

“I told you,” one girl whispers loudly to the other two as they slow to a walk, still moving toward Tobin and Christen. 

The girl carrying the soccer ball elbows the whispering one, silencing her before speaking up. “Hi!” she says with a wave as the three finally stop in front of the couple. “Tobin, would you sign our ball, please?”

“Uh,” Tobin stammers, dropping Christen’s hand from her own and taking a small step closer to the young girls. “Yeah, sure,” she agrees with a grin. She wipes her hands against the bottom of her t-shirt before accepting the pen one of the girls hands over to her.

“Were you guys playing out here?” Tobin asks as she scrawls her name and jersey number across the ball, brushing sand off as she goes. 

“Mhm,” the girl holding the ball hums emphatically. “And we’re all on the same team,” she adds, looking at the other two girls standing slightly behind her. 

“That’s cool,” Tobin responds sincerely. “There you go,” she says, passing the pen back to one of the girls. 

“Thank you!” the girls reply giddily. “Could we take a picture, too?” one asks shyly just as the other two are about to flit away. 

Tobin laughs nervously. “Yeah, come on,” she obliges, motioning the girls toward her. They pass one phone to her, and she reaches it out toward Christen, who has been patiently watching the entire exchange in the background. 

“Please,” Tobin murmurs with a smile as her girlfriend takes the phone from her hand, backing away from the group to take their photo. 

“Okay, ready? On three,” Christen prompts them, giggling as the girls frantically adjust themselves around Tobin as she counts down. Christen snaps a few shots, smiling to herself as she admires Tobin’s wide grin in the last one before returning the phone to its owner.

“Thank you, Tobin! You’re awesome! See you at your next game!” the girls exclaim, giggling and whispering to each other as they walk away.

Tobin runs a hand through her hair as she turns toward Christen, who looks at her with admiration. “How many times has that happened to you?”

“Uhh,” Tobin breathes, tucking her hands into the pockets of her shorts. “Several, at least.”

“You don’t like it,” Christen prods with a smile, wrapping an arm around her girlfriend’s waist as she plants a kiss against the side of Tobin’s head. “You have a huge fan club and they make you all nervous and shy,” Christen laughs. 

“It’s just surreal every time,” Tobin defends, pulling one hand out of her pocket so that she can drape her arm across Christen’s shoulders. “I mean, people I don’t know at all know my name, my face, my family’s names, my whole career…” she rambles. “Heck, they probably know things about me that I don’t know about myself!” 

Christen’s brow furrows slightly. “Do they know you’re gay?”

“Who, those girls? Probably now,” Tobin responds easily. She looks at Christen, sensing that she didn’t say the right thing. 

“I mean, are you out, Tobin?” 

The soccer player stops walking as her stomach churns slightly. Her name sounds harsh in Christen’s worry-filled tone. She locks eyes with her girlfriend, trying to understand her sudden mood swing.

“Chris, it’s _fine_ ,” Tobin insists, sliding her hands up to the dark-haired girl’s shoulders and giving them a squeeze. 

“You’re not out to the public,” Christen whispers the realization, somewhat stunned by the wave of emotion that has washed over her.

“Of course I’m not, baby,” Tobin replies desperately. “I just came out to my parents not _that_ long ago.”

Christen nods, her eyes now distant. She fidgets with her hair, twisting her loose waves through her fingers over and over. _Why are you even upset? She’s not, so what’s the deal?_ she asks herself. 

“Christen,” the soccer player prompts, her voice soft as she turns Christen’s chin toward her own face with a single finger. “It’s okay, I mean it. Why are you so worried?”

Shaking her head, Christen answers, “I’m really not sure. I just panicked for you because, I mean, you’re just now getting over all the family issues, right?” She finally moves her green-grey eyes back toward Tobin’s as she continues speaking. “I worry about you so easily. I only want you to be happy and, you know, _stable_ , I guess,” Christen stops herself after fumbling for the correct words. She looks up at Tobin through her dark eyelashes.

“And?” Tobin draws the question out, knowing Christen isn’t finished.

“And,” the dark-haired girl inhales. “You’re going to live with me soon, and people know you, so they’ll get to know me, and how will I know the right things to do or to say? What if our relationship causes people to talk about you? I don’t want to impact you that way. Oh, God, now I sound like your ex, don’t I? How did you manage to keep your relationship private out there? I just…” Finally out of breath, Christen inhales again, this time keeping her lips pressed together to avoid more rambling.

“You done?” Tobin asks, slightly amused. When her girlfriend nods, the soccer player says, “Look, Chris, you don’t _need_ to worry,” she insists as she brushes a few dark strands away from her girlfriend’s face. “And you _don’t_ sound like my ex. Trust me. You’re sweet, and your concern is from a selfless place, I know,” Tobin adds earnestly. 

Christen nods, agreeing with Tobin’s assessment. She chews her lip, trying still to stay quiet, because she can feel the panic still bubbling up inside of her. 

“Hey,” Tobin starts again, still speaking softly. “I’m nervous, too. Always, about something, especially with you in my life. You make me ridiculously nervous,” she confesses with a chuckle, smiling when Christen laughs, too. “But I’m also happier and more comfortable now than I’ve ever been, so I’m not worried about ‘the public,’” Tobin concludes, making air-quotes at Christen and laughing when the dark-haired girl sticks out her tongue at the teasing.

“I love you,” Christen says through her laughter, causing Tobin’s heart to flutter. 

“I love you, too, sunshine,” Tobin replies, grinning as she wraps her arms across Christen’s shoulders again, leading them toward the car. “Come on, we have to get ready for dinner with my parents, remember?”

Christen presses her lips against Tobin’s jaw, smiling against her girlfriend’s skin as they walk. “I’m kissing you and the public can’t stop me,” she jokes, giggling as she continues pressing quick kisses to Tobin’s cheek. 

“I’m calling the public to ask them how they feel!” Tobin taunts back, jogging playfully away from Christen, beaming at her when she hears her girlfriend’s bubbly laughter behind her. She turns around, pacing backwards for a few steps so that she can watch Christen bounce toward her, dark waves floating around her head and shoulders as the late afternoon sun glints off her tanned skin. Tobin fumbles in her shorts pocket for her cell phone as Christen slows to a walk, still approaching her. She lifts her phone in front of her face and quickly snaps several photos of her girlfriend, pocketing the device to save the memory for later.

**…**

“You _do_ get to come in, remember?” Christen laughs quietly as Tobin’s lips roam across her neck and collarbone.

Tobin looks up, slightly bashful, and smiles at her girlfriend as she’s led through the front door. 

The two women greet Morena, ruffling the fur around her neck and ears playfully as they pass her by in the living room. Christen wanders into the kitchen, humming to herself, as Tobin kicks off her shoes before following her. Tobin finds herself magnetized toward Christen, unable to keep her hands off of her. She slides her arms around the dark-haired girl’s waist from behind as Christen reaches for wine glasses.

“Baby,” Christen hums happily, sinking backward into Tobin’s warmth.

Tobin’s chin falls onto Christen’s shoulder as they sway slowly to the tune that Christen continues to hum. Christen pours two glasses of wine, not hesitating despite the two they each had while at dinner with Jeff and Cindy. With the glasses in her hands, she slowly turns in Tobin’s arms until they’re face to face. Tobin’s lips immediately find Christen’s, and they kiss for a moment until Christen nudges Tobin’s arm with one of the glasses of wine. 

Once Tobin takes the glass, Christen turns on her heel, sauntering out of the kitchen toward the living room. She glances over her shoulder, grinning when she catches Tobin staring at her rather than following her. She bites down on her bottom lip and tosses her hair gently over one shoulder, teasing Tobin as she walks away.

“Hey, I saw that,” Tobin laughs, finally walking out of the kitchen in her girlfriend’s path.  


Christen has finished her glass of wine by the time Tobin’s hits half-empty. The dark-haired girl pulls Tobin to her feet from where they had been cuddled on the sofa. Christen clicks the volume up on the music that fills the room, and coaxes Tobin towards her as she bounces, twirls, and sways around the small open space. 

After a song or two, Christen’s pace slows, and she finds her arms draped across Tobin’s shoulders, her fingers entangled in the soccer player’s hair just above her neck. Tobin presses her lips to Christen’s post-wine pink-tinted cheeks, smiling as she’s pulled closer to Christen’s front. The two have all but stopped moving, and Christen leans her forehead against Tobin’s. She breathes in Tobin’s scent, humming happily at the familiarity of it. 

Tobin trails her fingers down Christen’s sides, around to the small of her back, and down her backside until she finds the bottom hem of the dress Christen chose to wear to dinner. She twists the fabric through her fingertips as her lips find Christen’s, their kiss quickly deepening. The dark-haired girl sighs into Tobin’s mouth as she feels Tobin’s fingers graze against the backs of her thighs, just below her ass. Tobin grips her skin there, pulling Christen closer as their tongues find each other. 

Christen inhales deeply, feeling her heart rate rise higher and higher as her girlfriend’s strong hands roam across her body. She untangles one hand from Tobin’s hair and instead grabs onto the collar of her henley, tugging the fabric to guide Tobin toward the bedroom. _Our bedroom_ , Christen remembers happily, separating her lips from Tobin’s to remind her aloud. As soon as their lips part, Tobin’s move down Christen’s neck, and the dark-haired girl tilts her head toward Tobin’s ear. 

“Welcome home,” Christen whispers, her voice jolting into a soft moan as Tobin’s teeth graze against her pulse point. The sound immediately intensifies Tobin’s feelings, practically causing _her_ to moan, as well. She slides her hands beneath the hemline of Christen’s dress, pushing it upward toward her waist as her hands graze over every inch of skin in between. Christen takes over, pulling the cotton dress over her head with ease, leaving her body covered only by a matching nude-colored bra and thong.

Christen almost laughs as she watches Tobin look her up and down, jaw open in awe. Instead, she pulls Tobin’s face toward her own, kissing her already kiss-swollen lips. She sucks Tobin’s bottom lip between her teeth, biting down slightly just as Tobin’s hands find her breasts. Christen releases Tobin’s lip as another small moan escapes her throat at the sensation of Tobin’s warm hands palming her bare skin beneath her bra. Christen releases the clasp of her bra, shrugging the garment off her shoulders and giving Tobin better access, which she hungrily takes advantage of. 

Tobin feels her core throbbing at the sound of Christen’s moans while she licks and sucks on the dark-haired woman’s taut nipples. The soccer player loops her thumbs into the waistband of Christen’s thong, sliding the garment down her thighs until it falls loosely to the ground. Tobin begins trailing her lips down Christen’s front, only making it to her ribs before she feels her shoulders being tugged upward. 

“I want you,” Christen husks, fumbling as her fingers seek the hem of Tobin’s shirt. 

“I’m right here,” Tobin responds, grazing her fingertips lightly across Christen’s hip bones before peeling her own shirt off to save Christen the trouble. Tobin wraps one arm around Christen’s waist, nudging her knee between Christen’s knees as her hand grips the back of her thigh to lift one of Christen’s legs up to her own hip. The green-eyed girl wraps her hands around Tobin’s neck again, steadying herself on one leg. Her eyes meet Tobin’s just as the soccer player’s fingers slide from the back of her thigh toward her core, gliding through Christen’s wetness. 

Christen’s head falls forward onto Tobin’s chest as she moans at the contact. “Oh my God,” she whispers as Tobin continues sliding her fingers through her slit, teasing Christen until she can feel herself practically dripping. It takes every ounce of willpower Christen can muster up, but she suddenly pulls away from Tobin, staring at her girlfriend with a smolder. 

“Baby, take off your clothes,” Christen murmurs, reaching for the button on Tobin’s jeans while the soccer player pulls off her bra. Once unbuttoned, Tobin tugs her jeans over her hips, peeling her underwear down with them. Christen is caught off-guard when she takes in Tobin’s unexpectedly bare body, but only for a fleeting moment before she pulls Tobin toward her, guiding her toward the bed. 

“I _said_ ,” the dark-haired girl sasses, nipping at Tobin’s collarbone once before gently pushing her backwards onto the bed. “I want _you_.”

Tobin practically groans at her girlfriend’s new demanding demeanor, squeezing her thighs together as she’s already in need of relief. 

“I wanna touch you, and I wanna taste you, and I wanna make you come,” the green-eyed girl continues as she crawls onto the bed, kissing Tobin from her knees up toward her chest while she speaks. Just before her mouth reaches Tobin’s breasts, Christen stops, sitting up onto her knees and arranging herself so that she’s straddling only one of the soccer player’s thighs. She waits for a moment, until Tobin opens her eyes at the lack of contact, and then Christen sinks herself down onto Tobin’s skin, feeling her wetness spread immediately. She rocks her hips once, pressing her own knee ever-so-lightly against Tobin’s center, which earns her a moan from Tobin’s lips.

“ _Chris_ ,” the soccer player groans, writhing beneath her girlfriend as best she can. She pulls her swollen bottom lip in between her teeth, looking up at Christen pleadingly. 

“Yes, baby?” Christen responds, loving the effect her slow pace is having on the woman beneath her. She glances at Tobin only briefly before trailing one finger from Tobin’s hip bone down to her center, dipping into her wetness for only a second, which is long enough to make Tobin gasp. 

“What happened to ‘I wanna make you come’?” Tobin whines loudly, her words choppy like her breath. “I want _that_ ,” she insists, her cheeks flushed with frustration. 

Christen bites back a satisfied grin as her eyes roam down Tobin’s body, noting the sheen of sweat glistening on her skin now. “Have I ever told you how _hot_ I think you are?” she husks against Tobin’s lips as she leans down for a kiss. Tobin immediately moans into Christen as the dark-haired girl’s thigh presses into her fully. She desperately grinds her hips against Christen, taking any contact she can get. Without moving from atop Tobin, Christen slides one hand down her body, pressing her fingers into Tobin’s core. She circles her thumb over Tobin’s clit, watching her girlfriend’s face contort with pleasure. 

“Fuck me,” Tobin manages to whisper, her voice jolting as Christen instantly obliges, sliding a finger deeply inside of Tobin. Christen props herself up on one elbow as she adds a second finger, curling her digits against Tobin’s walls as they slide in and out. Tobin’s moans grow louder and more ragged with every thrust, and Christen presses her leg down to hold Tobin still against the mattress. 

Christen kisses Tobin once as she slides her fingers out of her core, moving back to her clit. “Look at me, Tobin,” she gently instructs, holding contact with her favorite honey-brown eyes as she moves down the soccer player’s body, nudging her strong thighs apart to make room for herself. 

“God, you’re so sexy,” Tobin mumbles, her words giving way to a loud moan once again as Christen’s tongue presses against her clit, replacing her fingers. Tobin can’t peel her eyes away from Christen’s, captivated by watching her girlfriend pleasure her. 

Christen’s tongue moves in long strokes from Tobin’s entrance up to her clit, over and over, lapping her up. She hums as Tobin’s hand presses against the back of her head, and the vibration against her clit nearly sends Tobin over the edge. Knowing she’s close, Christen slips one finger inside her girlfriend, sucking her clit between her lips at the same time. Tobin only lasts for two curls of Christen’s finger before she’s moaning the dark-haired girl’s name and gripping the sheets to steady herself.

Looking up at her satisfied girlfriend, Christen slowly removes her finger, trailing it across Tobin’s clit before sucking it into her mouth, tasting Tobin again. The soccer player watches, her head weakly lifted toward Christen. “Fuck,” Tobin whispers as her head falls onto the pillow beneath her.

Christen hums happily as she relocates to lie next to Tobin, sliding one arm beneath the brown-eyed girl’s head to cradle her against her chest. Tobin turns onto her side, draping herself across her girlfriend. She presses her lips to Christen’s skin twice before mumbling against it, “You’re incredible.”

Chuckling quietly, Christen retorts, “Tell me that when you’re not on cloud nine.” 

“Hey,” Tobin whines, curling tighter against Christen’s side. “I mean it,” she argues, looking up at her favorite green eyes.

“I know,” Christen concedes, planting a kiss on Tobin’s forehead as she rubs reassuring circles across her back. “Welcome home, my love.”

Tobin feels a comforting warmth spread throughout her entire body as she takes in Christen’s words. She breathes out a contented sigh, and Christen giggles as the soccer player’s breath tickles across her sensitive breasts. Tobin chuckles, too, pressing her lips to the side of Christen’s breast. 

“Welcome me home tomorrow, too, and the next day, and whenever I actually move in…” Tobin trails off, lifting herself up over Christen’s chest so she can kiss across it. She sucks one of Christen’s nipples into her mouth when she finishes speaking, humming with satisfaction as it hardens against her tongue.

Christen’s breath is a little ragged as she murmurs, “You can welcome me home, too, you know.” She bites her lip to punctuate her suggestion, arching her back as Tobin’s mouth continues working at her breasts.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Tobin responds lovingly, her hands already roaming down Christen’s sides and over her hips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think T & C deserved a little fun, don't you? 
> 
> Tell me your favorite part(s) below, or on tumblr! You know I have to know. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! You're the best.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the return of the NWSL comes the return of TSiP! Read, enjoy, tell me how you feel, you know the drill. :)

“Well, Jeff and Cindy may be happy with your move, but I’m still not thrilled, Toby,” Allie says matter-of-factly as she folds another of Tobin’s t-shirts from the pile next to her on the floor of Tobin’s bedroom. 

“Not gonna let it go, are you?” Tobin grumbles, plucking the newly-folded shirt out of Allie’s hands. “I told you to save me one,” she reminds the blonde. 

The two women are home alone and have spent the morning packing up Tobin’s belongings while Tobin recapped her recent dinner with Christen and her parents. She argued against the packing session, at first, insisting that she could just pile her things into Christen’s car and Allie’s SUV and be on her way. Of course, Allie wasn’t having it, complaining that she wanted to do it so she could spend time with Tobin, who couldn’t argue with that.

Tobin unzips her USA hoodie, casually turning her back to Allie as she sneaks the t-shirt over her head, hoping Allie’s distraction with folding each article of clothing perfectly will hold for just a moment. The midfielder rolls her eyes when she hears her roommate clear her throat behind her.

“ _Tobin_ ,” Allie drawls, the syllables stretched out with suspicion. “You forgot my coffee because you didn’t even leave yourself time to put on a proper shirt this morning!”

Groaning, Tobin tosses her hands in the air. “Okay, okay,” she concedes as she slips her hoodie on over the t-shirt, tugging the sleeves up to her elbows

“Ugh, way to rub it in,” Allie mutters, plopping a stack of folded clothing into Tobin’s suitcase. “You’re moving into the love shack, and leaving me and Kel here with a room to be filled by a rookie, probably.”

“Come _on_ , Al,” Tobin pleads, falling onto her stomach across her uncovered mattress, reaching out to twirl a lock of the blonde’s hair playfully. “It’s just across town. You can come over! I’ll come over!” 

“No, no, it’s not about that,” Allie explains, looking up at her from her seat on the wood floor. “We came here together, remember? Me and you, so you could get away and be here with your people. It was _my_ idea to trade,” she continues, leaning back against the bed and staring up at the ceiling as she talks. “I was so sick of seeing you all depressed and scared to go anywhere besides practice because you didn’t want to run into _her_.”

Tobin listens intently to Allie, finally beginning to understand her friend’s complaints. The blonde had given her the cold shoulder after she revealed the news over the weekend, and Allie had since bailed on Tobin for their usual beach jogs and coffee dates, giving her vague excuses that left Tobin feeling helpless. 

“And now,” Allie continues speaking, not noticing that Tobin might have tuned out for a moment. “You’re so stoked on Christen and I _am_ happy for you, totally, but I’m so going to miss what we’ve had going on over here since the move...” she trails off, tilting her head back to glance at Tobin behind her.

The midfielder sighs. “Al, I -” Tobin utters before Allie interrupts her.

“Oh, no you don’t!” the blonde exclaims as she spins around to face Tobin completely. “Don’t you even _try_ to top that mush! You’ll just ‘um’ and ‘uh’ your way through it, mumbles. We both know your vocal chords stop functioning at the first sound of something heartfelt!” Allie teases, grinning at Tobin as she curls into herself on the bed, laughing loudly. 

“Anyway,” Allie says decidedly once their laughter subsides. “Now you know, Tobs,” she concludes with a single nod, patting Tobin on the head as she stands up.

“Man, I thought you were going to say you’ve been hopelessly in love with me all along and that’s why I can’t move out,” Tobin jests, sliding off the bed and to her feet. 

“Nah, that’s Kelley’s story,” Allie retorts, tossing her arm across Tobin’s shoulders. “Lunch is on you, right?”

The two women have just made it down the stairs when Kelley comes sliding around the corner from the direction of the kitchen, her face flushed and eyes wild. 

“I did it!” she shouts at Tobin and Allie, despite their proximity to her.

When her roommates only respond with looks of confusion, Kelley elaborates. “I swung myself in the hammock until I flipped over! Hello?! I’ve only been trying to do that since Tobin bought the thing!”

“You have?” Allie and Tobin question in unison, their brows furrowing.

Kelley looks at her feet as she shuffles them across the floor. “Yeah,” she mumbles, suddenly embarrassed. “I might have only tried it when you guys weren’t here…” 

Tobin looks at Allie, shaking her head. They both burst into laughter, patting Kelley on the back animatedly. She beams at them, only slightly offended that they won’t take her seriously.

“I’ll leave the hammock here when I move, Kels,” Tobin promises. 

“You better, ‘cause you can take the Tobin out of the house but you can’t take Kelley out of Tobin’s hammock,” the freckle-faced woman responds earnestly, fluttering her eyelashes at Tobin. All three women laugh, and Tobin and Allie pull Kelley along with them toward the front door, off to their lunch date. 

****

…

_I can’t believe this_ , Christen thinks to herself, chewing her lip as she looks around her apartment. She inhales, already able to detect Tobin’s scent in the air, which causes her stomach to flutter. The green-eyed girl hugs her arms around her ribs, allowing a couple of chuckles to tumble out of her throat as her happiness peaks.

“What are you laughing at, gorgeous?” Tobin asks when she reappears from the direction of the bathroom. She’s wiping a washcloth across her face and neck, trying to cool down after making several trips up and down the stairs to bring in her things. 

Christen had helped as much as Tobin would allow. She surprised herself by not minding too much that Tobin limited her loads to lighter things, because it that meant Christen got to stand at the top of the stairs to hold the door open for the soccer player, which gave her the perfect view of Tobin and her bare, toned arms every time she came bounding up the stairway. Tobin had caught her girlfriend’s green eyes lingering extra long a couple of times, and she had teased Christen about drooling, earning an exaggerated frown and a giggle from her. 

“Nothing, baby,” Christen replies, shaking her head slowly as a smile spreads across her face. She unwraps her arms from around her torso, stretching them out toward Tobin, who beams at her. 

“Hi,” Tobin murmurs as she allows Christen to pull her into a hug, tucking her face into the curve between the dark-haired girl’s neck and shoulder. Tobin’s arms curl around Christen’s back, holding her tight. 

Christen twirls the tips of the soccer player’s loose ponytail between her fingers, resting her chin on Tobin’s shoulder as they remain wrapped up in each other. She turns a little further toward Tobin to press her lips against her neck. Christen finds one kiss turning into several as Tobin loosens her grip around the woman’s waist to allow her to move and continue. The green-eyed girl’s lips make patterns down to Tobin’s collarbone, over to the hollow of her throat, and back up to her jawline. Tobin feels her knees weakening, and although she wants to blame the stairs, she knows it’s Christen, not a lack of fitness, causing her to falter. 

“I love you,” Tobin muses aloud, her voice coming out more uneven than she had expected. She smiles when Christen’s eyes lift up to find hers. 

“I love you more,” Christen replies, her eyes sparkling. She giggles when Tobin raises her eyebrows skeptically, nodding repeatedly to confirm her statement. 

“Don’t start that,” Tobin grumbles, nuzzling playfully against Christen’s ear. She nips at it once before trailing her tongue down to her girlfriend’s pulse point, where her teeth once again graze against Christen’s smooth skin. 

“I do love you more and more everyday, I think,” Christen elaborates, her voice low as she savors the feeling of Tobin’s mouth on her skin. 

Tobin makes eye contact with Christen, holding it as she slowly pushes her by the hips toward the couch across the room. Christen gazes at her girlfriend, losing herself a little in Tobin’s honey-colored eyes. She sucks her own bottom lip between her teeth just as the backs of her knees brush against the edge of her sofa. Tobin gently shakes her ponytail loose, pulling her hair over one shoulder as she watches Christen lower herself onto the couch and lean onto her elbow so that she’s lying on her side. The dark-haired girl pats the space in front of her, pulling Tobin into her when the soccer player lies down facing her. 

“Nap time,” Christen proposes through a yawn as she sinks into her girlfriend’s front with a smile.

After slotting one leg between Christen’s and one on top, Tobin presses her lips to Christen’s forehead, sighing with contentment. She mentally checks in with her body, realizing she feels both fatigued and exhilarated, which translates quickly into restlessness for Tobin. She begins fidgeting with Christen’s hair as the woman snuggles into her. The soccer player stretches her legs toward the other end of the sofa, wincing as the graze across her shin stretches, too. Tobin shakes her right leg slightly, trying to relieve the tingling pain around the small cuts she endured when she tripped on her way up the stairs toward Christen with her arms full of boxes. She laughs quietly at herself now, recalling the joke she’d called out as Christen had flitted down the stairs towards her when she fell. _Now I’m literally falling for you, Chris._

“Tobin,” Christen whispers, her face still tucked into her girlfriend’s neck. “You can’t be still?” she asks rhetorically, pulling away slightly to look at Tobin’s face. 

The brown-eyed girl shakes her head. “Nope. I can leave you to nap if you want, though,” she offers, looking at Christen apologetically. 

“No,” Christen whines. “I just got you, so I’m not letting you get away,” she adds, wrapping her arms tightly around Tobin’s neck. She pecks her girlfriend on the lips with a smile. 

“What do you want to do, baby?” the green-eyed girl asks when Tobin stays silent as she continues to fidget. Christen slides her hands down Tobin’s back, tracing her shoulder blades and down her spine to the small of her back, where she rubs small circles to try to soothe the woman’s jitters. 

“Soccer?” Tobin suggests, wiggling her eyebrows animatedly at her girlfriend, who giggles. 

Tobin is on her feet before Christen finishes saying, “Okay, soccer it is,” and Christen jumps up, playfully chasing Tobin across the room and catching her around the waist. “You owe me private yoga,” she murmurs, pressing her lips to Tobin’s shoulder blade where her tank top leaves her skin exposed. She moves her lips up to the back of Tobin’s neck, sucking her girlfriend’s flesh between her teeth. Christen smiles with success as she feels Tobin relax into her at the contact. 

“Stop trying to slow me down, woman,” Tobin groans half-heartedly, turning around in Christen’s arms to face her. 

“Can’t resist,” Christen defends as she drops her arms from Tobin’s waist and raises her hands in surrender. She laughs when Tobin narrows her eyes at her suspiciously. “Okay, okay, let’s go, soccer star. You’re like Morena when she hasn’t had her walk,” she teases, passing by Tobin to get to the front door. Christen squeals as Tobin pinches her hip at the joke.

“And _you’re_ picking up too much sass from my friends,” Tobin retorts with a grin as she follows Christen out of the apartment, pulling the door closed behind them. 

“No, no, this sass is all my own,” Christen insists, tossing her hair over her shoulder as Tobin laughs and reaches for her hips again, this time pulling her close so they can walk together. 

****

…

Christen exhales, slowly peeling her eyelids open. She stares up at the ceiling, relishing in the quiet for just one moment longer before breaking the calm with her voice. “Alright, everyone,” she prompts. “Thank you for being here today.” The room fills with scuffs and shuffles as the group packs up their belongings, rolling up their yoga mats and thanking Christen on their way out of the small studio. After the last person has filed out, Christen returns to her mat, sitting with her legs tucked beneath her. Her eyes close and she allows herself to drift blissfully back into the daydream she’d fallen into during the end-of-class meditation.

“Are you napping?” Erin’s voice startles the dark-haired woman from her daze. Christen twitches, rubbing her temples as she breathes to slow her spiked pulse. 

“Of course not,” she groans quietly. “Just thinking.”

“Are you okay?” Erin asks, her tone softer this time. She leans against the doorway to the studio, her head tilted to the side as she awaits a response.

Christen nods wordlessly as she rolls up her yoga mat before approaching her co-worker with her eyes fixated on the floor. She doesn’t look up as she nears Erin, hoping she can just brush past with no further interrogation. 

“Woah, woah, woah, sister,” Erin playfully scolds as she grips Christen’s shoulders. “ _What_ is your deal?”

“Erin, please, I’m f-” 

“Ohhhh! Tobin’s still gone, isn’t she? Ugh, can you not be so adorably in love? It’s unfair,” Erin rambles, still holding Christen in place. 

Christen laughs once at Erin’s complaint. “She has been gone for two weeks,” she justifies, squeezing through the doorway past Erin. “But she’ll be back tonight!” Christen calls out over her shoulder, biting back a grin at the thought. _Just a few more hours_ , she reminds herself, counting in her head the time between now and the end of her evening class, after which she’ll head to the airport to pick up Tobin. 

****

…

“Thanks again,” Tobin says to her driver as she throws her backpack over her shoulder. As the car backs away, she grabs the handle of her duffel, rolling it toward the stairs.

Once upstairs, Tobin fumbles for her key, wishing she had attached it to something easier to find before dropping it into the black hole that her backpack has become during the two-week traveling tournament. She groans, blindly scraping her hand through each pocket and pouch inside the bag. She drops it on the ground in frustration, patting her pockets as a last resort. Tobin laughs bitterly at herself as she palms the loose key in her jacket pocket, pulling it out and shoving it into the lock. 

“Hey, you!” she exclaims, smiling as Morena wiggles around her feet in the doorway. She drags her bags inside, kicking the door shut behind her. Tobin looks around the living room, her stomach fluttering a little as she notices that Christen hasn’t taken down the “Welcome Home” banner she had put up for Tobin’s move-in day. She then sinks to her knees to appease the excited dog in front of her, allowing Morena to lick her face and paw at her playfully. After a few moments, the dog calms down, wandering back to the front door in search of Christen. 

“Nope, no Chris yet. I’m here first to surprise her,” Tobin coos at Morena, laughing to herself as she realizes that Christen has made her into the kind of person who talks to animals. 

Before moving her bags into the bedroom, Tobin checks her watch. “Right on time,” she exhales with relief as she stands up. “Just an hour left.” 

Tobin pads down the hall, dropping her bags near the closet before kicking off her sneakers and peeling out of her jacket and t-shirt. She flops onto the bed in just her joggers and sports bra, sinking contentedly into the comforter. She’d planned this surprise right after moving in with Christen, just before leaving for the tournament. She had allowed Christen to make the plan to pick her up from her flight home, but Tobin had fibbed to her about the arrival time, so Christen was planning to drive to the airport around nine o’clock that night, after her evening yoga class. In reality, Tobin’s flight was scheduled all along to arrive at seven o’clock, just as Christen’s class was beginning. Tobin knew that would give her enough time to book a ride home and be there to surprise her girlfriend. Now, from her sprawled position across the bed, Tobin pats herself on the back for timing something perfectly, for once. She picks up her phone, texting Christen, which is the final step in her plan. 

Tobin: _Babe, you know what would be sweet?_  
Tobin: _Stop at home on your way to the airport and bring Morena with you!_  
Tobin: _Miss you both and it’s totally not fair if you get to see me first ;)_  
Tobin: _Okay see you tonight! Love you_

She grins to herself as she drops her phone onto her chest, knowing Christen will check for messages as soon as her class ends. Tobin closes her eyes for a moment, allowing herself to daydream about Christen, as if she hadn’t been doing so while traveling all day. Morena hops onto the bed, curling up against Tobin’s legs. Suddenly, the coast-to-coast jet lag catches up with Tobin, and before she can stop herself, her eyelids become too heavy to open again as she dozes off.

**…**

Christen chuckles to herself as she reads Tobin’s text messages. She taps out a response on her way across the parking lot toward her car.

Christen: _Okay, silly, I will bring her on one condition - you kiss ME first!_  
Christen: _See you so soon! Text when you can_

The dark-haired girl glances at the clock on her dashboard as she slides into the driver’s seat of her car. She knows she should hear from Tobin any minute that her plane has landed, so she hurries to buckle her seatbelt, turning out of the parking lot toward home. 

Christen reaches toward the volume dial on her dashboard, slowly turning it until the song on the radio becomes louder. She taps the steering wheel anxiously, unable to contain her jitters as she thinks about picking up Tobin. Her foot presses the gas pedal a little harder as she grows slightly impatient with the drive to her apartment, wishing Tobin hadn’t asked her to make the stop. _Doesn’t she know I just want to get to her as fast as I can? She can see Morena later_ , Christen internally whines. 

She’s pulled back to reality momentarily as she notices the traffic light ahead of her change from green to yellow. Her foot stays heavy on the gas pedal as she guesses that she’ll be able to make it through the light before it turns red. Christen holds her breath as she drives, shaking her head at her unusual level of impatience. Her small car floats across the intersection just as the traffic light turns red, and just as a large van opts to make a U-turn into Christen’s lane. She slams her foot against the brake pedal reflexively as the sound of the van’s horn grows louder and louder, until it stops.

**…**

The unfamiliar ringing startles Tobin awake. She slides off the bed, wandering through the apartment until she locates the cordless landline phone she didn’t know Christen had. She picks the phone up from its dock on a side table in the living room, staring blankly at the local phone number on the caller ID. Shrugging, she answers the call.

“Who’s speaking?” the serious female tone from the other end of the line inquires. 

“Uh, I’m Tobin?” 

“Hmm, Tobin, Tobin…” the caller mumbles while she shuffles through a stack of papers. “Tobin Heath?” 

“Yeah,” Tobin responds hesitantly. “What’s going on?” she asks, confused.

“Tobin, you’re going to need to come downtown to Memorial,” the woman explains matter-of-factly, as if Tobin should know exactly what she’s talking about.

“Memorial? Like, the hospital?” Tobin’s heart rate picks up as confusion overwhelms her. She wishes that the caller might have called the wrong number, but since the woman knows her full name, that can’t be so.

“Yes, dear. Your wife has been in an accident, and you’ll need to…”

 _Wife?_ Tobin wonders silently, momentarily tuning out the woman on the phone. _Is this a joke?_

“...It appears she might have been on her way to you, according to her recent text messages. She’ll want you here, I’m sure. Do you need me to repeat her room number to you?” 

“Uh, yes, please,” Tobin stutters, squeezing her eyes shut to hold back the panic rising from her chest.

**…**

“Tobin, open up,” Alex requests, gently knocking on the apartment’s front door.

The door swings wide open seconds later, revealing Tobin with a tear-streaked face and hair a mess from all the nervous twisting and tugging she’s done. She has a backpack slung over one shoulder and two mismatched flip flops on her feet. Alex heart sinks at the sight.

“Come on, you,” Alex coos at her friend, wrapping a slim arm around Tobin’s shoulders and guiding her out the door. “Lock up,” she reminds her, releasing Tobin for a moment while she digs in her pockets for the key. 

When Tobin turns around after locking the door, Alex smoothes her hair before tucking her beneath her arm again, squeezing Tobin close as they trudge toward the car. Tobin gives Alex a look of confusion when they approach a large black Jeep rather than Alex’s car. 

“I was at Ash and Ali’s and I thought they’d be helpful,” the blue-eyed girl quickly explains, opening the back door and nudging Tobin to get into the Jeep. 

“Hi, Tobs,” Ali murmurs sweetly, offering the younger girl a smile from the passenger seat. 

The ride toward the hospital is silent except for an occasional sniffle from Tobin. Ashlyn glances between Alex and Ali every few minutes, wondering wordlessly whether anyone should speak up or not. Alex finally gives her a look that says “talking makes her worse.” 

Ashlyn pulls up to the emergency entrance, pausing to let Alex and Tobin out. “We’ll park and find the right waiting room,” she tells Alex. 

Tobin squints in the bright lights of the hospital as she shuffles toward the nurse’s station. “Hi, uh, I’m here to see Christen Press?” 

“Are you family?” a nurse asks. Tobin doesn’t recognize her voice as the one she heard on the phone earlier.

“She’s my wi- um, my wife,” she says, her voice catching on the unfamiliar words. She clears her throat and brushes the stray hairs away from her face in an attempt to compose herself slightly.

The nurse nods, glancing at the computer screen next to her. “You can wait over there and we’ll call you in a few minutes,” she explains without looking at Tobin again.

“Wife?” Alex whispers as the two make their way toward the waiting area. 

Tobin nods, feeling too drained by her emotions to say much in response. 

“She must have told them that so you could see her,” Alex concludes, thinking out loud. Moments later, she raises her hand in a small wave when she spots Ali and Ash approaching.

“So, how is she?” Ashlyn asks, looking at Alex for an answer after a few seconds of silence from Tobin.

“They haven’t said anything yet,” Alex says quietly, squeezing Tobin’s knee. 

“Are you here for Christen Press?” 

Tobin opens her eyes, not realizing they had been squeezed shut, and looks up at the young doctor standing before her. She nods and pushes herself to her feet. 

“She’s just been brought to a room and is asking for you,” he mentions with a sympathetic smile. “I can update you while we walk, if you want,” he offers, gesturing toward the hallway that would lead Tobin to Christen. 

The soccer player nods again, falling into step next to the doctor. 

“She’s doing well, all things considered,” he begins, looking at Tobin while her gaze remains fixed on the floor.

“What does that mean?” she mumbles, shoving her hands into her pockets and toying with the apartment key she finds.

“I heard that her car was crunched up pretty badly,” the doctor explains. “But she made it out with only minor injuries and a concussion, don’t worry.” 

Tobin laughs a short, bitter laugh at his flippant “don’t worry.” _How the hell do I do that?_ she thinks.

“Finally,” she hears from around the corner, her stomach fluttering at the familiar voice. 

The soccer player smiles through her fatigue, a few stray tears leaking from the corners of her eyes as she slowly approaches her girlfriend. Christen is upright in a hospital bed, tucked beneath several blankets. Although she’s beyond relieved to see that Christen appears to be fine, Tobin hesitates to move too close to her, taking everything in first. Her eyes start at Christen’s head, noting the short line of stitches near her hairline, before moving across her face, and down each arm until her line of sight is cut off by the blankets. 

“You’re okay,” Tobin breathes. She drags her hands over her face, wiping away tears and relaxing the worried frown that had taken over her expression. Finally, she steps up to Christen’s bed, reaching for her hand.

“I’m concussed,” Christen deadpans. “And starving.”

Tobin continues looking Christen up and down, still in disbelief that her girlfriend is barely injured. 

“What’s with the blankets? Are you hurt -?” Tobin eyes Christen’s lower body warily, suspicious that there must be more to this nightmare.

“Freezing,” Christen grumbles. She looks up at Tobin, her face softening when she sees the worry in her favorite brown eyes. “Tobin, baby, come here,” she instructs, patting the edge of her bed. 

Tobin obeys, sinking onto the bed at Christen’s side. The dark-haired girl reaches her free hand out toward Tobin’s face, tracing her cheekbone with one finger before smoothing her hand across Tobin’s cheek and jaw. “I’m okay,” she quietly insists. “Stupid, but okay.”

The soccer player allows her tears to flow slowly down her face once again, her eyes stinging with exhaustion. Her shoulders slump forward and she leans her head onto Christen’s shoulder for support. Christen rubs small circles across her girlfriend’s back, chewing her bottom lip as she mentally kicks herself for getting the two of them into this.

“Why do you have a landline?” Tobin mumbles, her voice muffled against the rough fabric of Christen’s hospital gown. She slowly lifts her head, leaning back to look at her girlfriend with red, swollen eyes.

“What?”

“Your phone at home,” Tobin elaborates. “I didn’t know you had one until it rang tonight.” 

“You were at home?” Christen wonders aloud, her green eyes squinting with confusion.

Tobin nods, dropping her gaze to their intertwined fingers. “I was going to surprise you. I lied to you about my arrival time then tricked you into coming home to pick up Morena, and I was there to surprise you.” Her tone is quiet and slow, almost embarrassed. 

Christen smiles as she takes in Tobin’s words. “I was so annoyed with you for making me stop at home,” she laughs. “I ran a traffic light trying to get there faster so I could get to the airport sooner because, God, I missed you.”

Tobin looks around the room, searching for a clock. “How long have you been here? Why did it take them so long to call me? They looked through your phone, you know, I guess to see if you were texting while driving…” she trails off, exhaling a sigh as she realizes she is too drained to worry about technicalities. She looks back to Christen, squeezing her hand while she speaks. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Chris.” 

Tobin’s ragged whisper breaks Christen’s heart a little, and she chews her lip through a small smile, still sitting with the guilty feeling that this is all her fault. “This isn’t exactly how I wanted to welcome you home,” she says apologetically. “I know it scared you, and I’m so sorry, baby.”

The soccer player leans forward to kiss her girlfriend, jumping slightly when she hears a throat clearing behind her. 

“Knock, knock,” Alex quietly announces herself. “Well, don’t you look like a badass?” she comments, pointing at Christen’s sewn-up forehead. The couple laughs and Tobin motions for Alex to come in.

“I was just coming to tell you I overheard that they’re writing up your release forms now,” the blue-eyed woman explains kindly. “You can carry your ‘wife’ across the threshold when you get her home,” she jokes, ruffling Tobin’s hair. 

Christen chuckles softly, pausing afterwards. “Wait, what?” She looks between Tobin and Alex for clarification, feeling left out by the joke. 

“Oh, uh,” Tobin starts, her eyes, roaming around the room while she gathers her thoughts. “Yeah, Chris, they called you my wife when they called to tell me what happened,” she says, speaking a little too quickly as she feels timid and awkward suddenly. 

Now the green-eyed girl genuinely laughs, loudly, until her cheeks are flushed and her breathing is rapid. Tobin and Alex watch her, giggling a little between themselves at Christen’s reaction. 

“And you just went with it?” Christen asks between gasps, her eyes sparkling a little. 

Tobin nods, smiling shyly. “I figured that would get me in to see you, so I didn’t correct them.”

Still laughing slightly, Christen explains, “Oh, baby, I must have told them that right when they got to me and I was so freaked out. I don’t even remember saying so. No wonder they got you here so quickly.” She pulls Tobin in for a quick kiss, beaming at her when they separate. “Take me home, please,” Christen murmurs, eyes locked on Tobin’s. 

Alex shakes her head at the couple, chuckling to herself again. “You two are a real mess,” she comments, turning on her heel to head back toward the waiting area to check on Ashlyn and Ali.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can thank me for choosing not to leave you with a cliff-hanger, because it almost happened. ;) As always, thanks for coming back! You guys are seriously awesome, and so motivating to me. Keep it up.
> 
> (krashoheathqa.tumblr.com)


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE accept this chapter as an apology for slacking off! TSiP is back, and definitely not over!

Christen stretches her arms above her head, waking her body up from an afternoon nap. She squints her eyes and groans as the sunlight pouring into her living room window causes a pang in her head. 

“Ugh,” she complains aloud, rocking forward so that she’s sitting upright with her legs still outstretched on the couch. She looks around for any sign of Tobin, sighing and reaching for her phone when she concludes that her girlfriend must be out. Her thumb hovers over the screen as she debates whether or not to bother the soccer player. Tobin has been diligently present, struggling to allow herself to leave even when she really needed to, so the green-eyed girl opts to drop her phone back onto the table and busy herself some other way.

Christen has been homebound for five days now, and her patience for “taking it easy” has definitely been lost. Her symptoms are all but remedied, and the post-impact soreness and stiffness she’s been dealing with have stopped getting worse. She reaches a hand up to gingerly scratch her scalp near the line of six stitches across her forehead, whining to herself when she thinks about the scar that will surely develop once they’re removed in a couple of days. She folds herself forward, chest over her knees as she reaches her fingertips toward her toes, stretching out the kinks in her back and neck. 

Morena appears from around the corner at the sound of Christen’s fidgeting. She saunters up to the couch, nuzzling her nose against the woman’s hand. Christen smiles at her dog, stroking the top of Morena’s head lovingly, allowing herself to drift into a daydream momentarily. 

An enthusiastic knock on the front door causes Christen to jump, squealing into the quiet room. She slowly rises to her feet, still wary of the dizziness she’s been experiencing, and makes her way toward the door, turning the doorknob cautiously. She lets the door swing open, peering around it to find the source of the knocking. 

“Tyler?” she mumbles, her face scrunched in the daylight that streams in through the doorway behind her grinning sister. 

“Hi, Chris!” the older woman greets her, stepping toward Christen and pulling her into a hug. “Surprise!” she adds over Christen’s shoulder. 

“What are you doing here?” Christen asks, smiling with disbelief. 

“I came to pamper you back to life, of course!” Tyler explains happily, releasing Christen and guiding the two of them away from the entryway. “Come, come, let me look at you, baby,” she instructs, holding Christen at arm’s length as she looks her up and down, leaning forward to look more closely at her stitches. 

“I’m really doing okay,” Christen defends herself quietly, feeling a little embarrassed under her sister’s mothering eyes. “Tobin’s been taking great care of me, and I can go back to work in a few days -”

“Where _is_ Tobin?” Tyler questions, her tone dramatically innocent as she glances around the room. 

“Work, I think,” Christen replies, eyeing her sister before changing the subject. “Ty, did Mom send you? I’ve quit returning her messages because she’s been driving me crazy, but I never imagined that she would -”

“No, no, I came on my own,” Tyler reassures her. “I figured I’d take a long weekend to come check on you, take you out, help you get your car up and running… You know, relieve some stress for you and Tobin,” she elaborates, her hands gesturing as she talks. 

“Okay,” Christen sighs, still not feeling entirely convinced by her sister’s speech. 

“I would’ve come sooner,” Tyler continues as she wheels her small suitcase down the hall, “but I didn’t want you to be too overwhelmed or anything.” 

“Still am,” the younger woman mutters to herself with her sister out of earshot. She picks up her phone to text Tobin. 

Christen: _My sister is here to play ‘mom’ for a few days_

Tobin: _I’m in recovery now so I’ll be home soon_  
Tobin: _That’s nice of her! Right?_

Christen: _I guess so… I’m not in the mood and she’s acting weird_

She adds a frowning face to their conversation and drops her phone onto the couch just as Tyler returns. 

“ _So_ , what do you want to do first?” the older woman asks, looking at Christen expectantly.

Christen sighs again, smiling at her sister as she feels her annoyance fade. She has been missing her family lately, after spending time with Tobin’s and especially after the accident. _Might as well be happy and enjoy her company_ , Christen mentally concludes about her sister. 

“You want the full scoop, don’t you?” she asks Tyler with one eyebrow raised, her tone a little teasing.

Tyler nods enthusiastically, earning a giggle from Christen. 

“Alright, alright. Take me to get a pedicure and I’ll tell you everything,” she offers with a grin. “Just let me change.”

Christen pads down the hallway toward the bedroom, reaching for the first clean shirt on top of the neat stack Tobin left after insisting upon doing laundry recently. She swaps the tank top she slept in last night for the clean t-shirt, slips into some denim shorts, and tugs her messy curls up into a bun atop her head as she quickly retreats down the hall. 

“Tyler, I better not find you pillaging,” she warns as she passes through the kitchen to grab her bag from the counter. 

“You’re the worst sister ever!” Tyler accuses jokingly. She’s plopped on the couch, reading the card Tobin gave Christen with her “Get Well Soon” flowers. “You haven’t told me _anything_! ‘I love you with all my heart and will always be here for you,’ blah, blah, blah,” she reads Tobin’s handwritten note aloud before dropping the card onto the coffee table and looking at Christen for an explanation. 

“I told you she moved in?” Christen offers with a shrug, blushing slightly at her sister’s prying. 

“You _looove_ her!” Tyler sing-songs, grinning at her sister’s shyness. “Come on, you used to tell me everything! I remember asking you to stop giving me details, and now I have to come visit you across the country to find out that you’re in love?!” She keeps her tone playful, realizing that Christen is unusually sensitive. 

Before Christen can respond again, Tyler comments, “And you’re sharing a closet, I see. When’s the wedding?” 

Christen looks down at her front, smirking slightly when she sees the U.S. Soccer logo on the front of the black t-shirt she’d plucked from the stack. She looks back up at her sister. “Let’s go,” she says, giving Tyler an eye roll for good measure. 

****

…

“You didn’t want to jinx it?” Tyler laughs as she settles into the large leather chair next to Christen’s. When Christen only nods bashfully in response, Tyler looks over at her. “This one’s totally different than the ones you used to dish to me about, huh?”

“Totally,” Christen confirms. 

“Would you marry her?” Tyler asks bluntly, still watching her sister’s facial expression. The two women beginning the sisters’ pedicures laugh quietly when Christen gasps, staring at her sister with an open mouth as a blush creeps up her neck and across her cheeks.

“Silence means ‘yes,’ Christen,” she teases, looking down at her phone with a satisfied grin. 

With impeccable timing, Christen’s own phone vibrates on her lap. She swipes across the screen to reveal a radiant photo of Tobin on the beach in her messaging inbox. 

Kelley: _Beach-bumming with your girl for the afternoon since big sis is in town. Hope you don’t mind! Tell Tyler HI_

Christen’s stomach fills with butterflies as she gazes at the picture, her eyes glued to Tobin’s until another incoming message interrupts her thoughts. 

Kelley: _She’s embarrassed cause I said you’ll drool over this one_

Christen laughs at Kelley’s winking emoji as she waits for the next photo to load on her screen. When it appears, she bites her bottom lip in an attempt to maintain a poker face, knowing Tyler is probably side-eyeing her. Christen’s eyes graze over the photo from top to bottom. She smiles sweetly at the sight of Tobin hiding behind her arm, clearly sheepish because of Kelley’s persistence. The soccer player is standing above Kelley’s point-of-view, perhaps backing away from her toward the sparkling ocean behind her, and Christen can’t help but bring her phone closer to her face to get a better look at Tobin’s athletic figure, left exposed by the black two-piece swimsuit she’s wearing. She feels her cheeks warming slightly as she chews her lip again, wishing that she were in Kelley’s place. 

Christen: _Go easy on her but tell her you were right_

The green-eyed girl reciprocates Kelley’s winking emoji before dropping her phone back onto her lap and looking over at her sister. She blushes for what feels like the hundredth time today, mumbling, “What?” 

“You’re _happy_ ,” Tyler remarks, grinning knowingly at Christen. 

“Yes, well,” Christen fumbles, tucking her hair behind her ears to gather herself a little. “Kelley says ‘hi,’” she mentions casually, hoping her sister will finally drop the topic of her love life. 

Tyler finally relents, giggling at her sister’s atypical behavior and knowing it means that she’s serious about Tobin, which puts Tyler’s mind at ease. “How’s your car?” she asks, giving Christen the subject change she’s been indirectly begging for. 

“Um, crunched right between the driver’s side door and the back door,” the younger woman explains flatly. “Fixable, they said, but it’ll take several days.” 

Their chatting continues, staying on the small talk track, much to Christen’s relief. Once their pedicures are over, Tyler trucks Christen through a few small shops down the block, hoping that being out of her apartment will refresh the younger woman a little. 

“Food,” Christen whines from behind her sister as they leave their third boutique. She leads Tyler to her favorite hole-in-the-wall Indian restaurant and they place orders to-go, waiting on a bench out front while their food is prepared. Christen’s phone rings and she jumps to her feet to retrieve it from the back pocket of her shorts, swaying with dizziness after the sudden movement.

“Hi, you,” she murmurs into the phone once she has recollected herself. Christen slowly steps away from Tyler, trying to be inconspicuous about her need for a moment away from her sister.

“Hey, babe, where are you?” Tobin asks, her voice crackling on Christen’s end of the call as wind blows into Tobin’s phone. 

“I’m picking up Indian food with Tyler then going home, finally,” she complains just loudly enough for Tyler to overhear, sticking her tongue out at her sister. 

Tyler laughs as she stands and heads inside the restaurant to check on their food, leaving her sister alone for a few minutes. 

“Where are _you_?” Christen asks, curious about the amount of noise traveling through their phone call.

“Uhh,” Tobin stalls, pulling the phone away from her face momentarily so that Kelley can direct her. “Still with Kel,” she supplies finally, turning a corner a little too sharply, causing Kelley to squeal.

“That’s not a ‘where,’ baby,” Christen laughs, pacing in a small circle on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. She twists a loose curl through her fingers, murmuring, “I miss you.” 

“I’ll see you so soon,” Tobin promises, still sounding to Christen like she’s distracted. Kelley points her teammate to the right again, holding on while they cut the corner. 

Christen opens her mouth to reply to her girlfriend, pausing with slight concern at the vehicle that comes practically barrelling towards her along the curb. She eyes the topless, sparkling red Jeep suspiciously, having caught a glimpse of familiar reddish-brown hair blowing wildly around the passenger side. 

“You’re a terrible driver,” Kelley complains, her voice still raised from talking over the wind. She looks down at Christen as the car comes to a halt next to where the dark-haired girl stands.

Tobin swings out of the driver’s seat, bouncing around the front of the Jeep with bare feet and a wide grin. She wraps her arms around Christen’s waist and kisses her softly, lifting her up slightly with her enthusiastic grip. 

“I said ‘so soon,’ right?” the soccer player smirks at her girlfriend proudly. “Kelley guessed you’d be here, and we were close by so -”

“Where…? What?” Christen sputters, leaning back in Tobin’s arms to look at her elated expression. “Explain,” she insists, pointing toward the Jeep. 

“It’s mine,” Tobin says, her smile unwavering. 

“I helped!” Kelley interjects, giggling while she tugs at the tangles in her hair. 

Christen laughs with disbelief. “Tobin, you hate driving,” she points out, still looking her girlfriend in the eye.

“Yeah, but,” the soccer player defends, her face finally falling slightly, “We needed it, right? I mean, now I can’t ride to work with Kel and Allie anymore, and with you and the accident, I just… It helps, right? I can drive if I _have to_. Plus, look at it!” 

Chuckling at her girlfriend again, Christen reassures her, “Yes, I suppose we did kind of need it, you’re right.” She presses her lips to Tobin’s cheek, smiling to herself at Tobin’s use of “we.” _Now there’s a ‘we’ in decisions_ , Christen muses mentally.

“I thought I was never going to get out of there!” Tyler fusses as she reappears on the sidewalk with her arms wrapped around a large brown bag of takeout boxes. “Oh! _Hello_ ,” she drawls, startled by Christen’s new company.

“Tyler, Tobin. Tobin, Tyler, my sister,” Christen introduces the two, wriggling out of Tobin’s arms to take the bag of food from her sister’s arms. She smiles nervously as she watches Tyler hug her girlfriend, rolling her eyes when Tyler mouths “oh my God” at her over Tobin’s shoulder. 

“Ty, you remember Kelley from college,” Christen adds, swatting playfully at Tobin as she tries to peek into the bag of food. Tobin grins slyly, pecking Christen on the lips once before looking over at Kelley and Tyler again.

“ _Kel_ ,” Tobin warns as Christen laughs quietly at the freckle-faced girl whose reunion with Tyler seems to be a little too lingering. 

“Um, we’re catching up,” Kelley sasses, wagging her index finger at Tobin.

Tobin shakes her head with a sigh, turning back toward her girlfriend and plucking the large bag from her arms. “Let me hold it,” she offers, leaning in for another kiss. “What did you get me?” she asks just after their lips part, causing Christen to giggle. 

“Your favorite is in there, don’t worry,” Christen promises. She lets out a small, tired sigh, shifting her weight from foot to foot. “I know I’ve been complaining about being cooped up at home, but I really want to go back home now,” she admits, giving Tobin a pout. 

“Let Tyler take you so you can go straight home. I have to return that one,” Tobin says, pointing at Kelley. “Then I’ll be there, okay?” She presses a kiss to Christen’s frown.

The dark-haired girl nods as she brings a hand up to cup Tobin’s jaw, pulling her in for one more kiss. Christen inhales deeply, smiling to herself as she catches the scents of sunscreen and saltwater from Tobin’s skin and hair. Tobin catches her eyes with her own, waiting for Christen to confirm their plan. “Okay?” she prompts softly, watching Christen with a wrinkled brow. 

The dark-haired girl only nods, stealing one more kiss from Tobin before releasing her.

“Come on, Kel,” Tobin calls out as she fidgets in her pocket for the keys to her Jeep. She’s nearly into the driver’s seat when Christen appears next to her, startling her slightly.

“Food,” Christen reminds her, hands outstretched. “Thief,” she teases, sticking her tongue out at Tobin as the soccer player passes the bag back to her with a grin. “Hey babe?” Christen adds, drawing Tobin’s attention from the ignition back to her. “Don’t do anything crazy before you get home. You know, like buy a car.” 

Tobin shrugs playfully, grinning still. “I’ll do my best,” she replies, starting the car. 

Christen watches them disappear around the corner before falling in step next to Tyler on the way toward the parking lot they parked in. 

“Okay, Chris, first of all,” Tyler says with a dramatic gesture and a serious tone, “the quick snaps you’ve sent to me here and there _do not_ do her justice.” She looks at Christen with wide eyes, earning a shy giggle from her sister. “That’s all I’m going to say because I don’t want to freak you out again, but _oh my God_ , it’s no wonder you’re so damn happy,” she emphasizes, nudging her elbow into Christen’s ribs lightheartedly. “Second of all, she bought a car without telling you and I can’t decide if I think that’s dangerously impulsive but in an attractive way, or just really sweet like she explained.”

The green-eyed girl is quiet, eyes downcast toward her feet as they approach the car. 

“Chris?” her sister prompts, glancing at her across the roof while she awaits a response. 

Christen shrugs, looking up at Tyler with a smile. “I just really love her, Ty. I don’t know what else to say.” 

Tyler’s face softens and she returns Christen’s genuine smile before ducking into the driver’s seat. “Let me get you home to her then,” she offers, squeezing Christen’s knee once they’re both seated. 

****

…

“Good as new?” Tobin asks, standing up as Christen approaches the corner of the waiting room she’d been sitting in. She hooks her index finger under the dark-haired girl’s chin, tilting her head one direction then another, playfully inspecting Christen’s stitch-free face. “Beautiful as always,” Tobin concludes, lifting her girlfriend’s hand to her lips quickly before interlacing their fingers and following Christen out of the hospital.

“You’re quiet,” Tobin observes, her brows furrowed as she eyes Christen. She pulls her into her side, wrapping her arm around Christen’s back as they walk toward the car.

“Can we do something fun later?” the green-eyed girl asks softly. “Being here again just bums me out a little… Doesn’t it do that to you?”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Tobin agrees, pressing her lips to Christen’s forehead. “What do you want to do, baby?”

“Let me think for a minute,” Christen replies as she moves around to the passenger side, opening the door and lifting herself into the seat. Suddenly, she turns to Tobin with a twinkling smile. 

“I see the light bulb,” Tobin jests, pointing above Christen’s head. “And if you’re thinking we should make out right here, then I’m _totally_ on board,” she mentions, trying hard to keep a straight face and failing when Christen rolls her eyes. The soccer player beams at her girlfriend, batting her eyelashes innocently. “Just an idea,” she justifies, trailing her fingers up Christen’s thigh from her knee toward the hem of her shorts. 

“You wouldn’t,” Christen challenges with a raised eyebrow, intrigued by her girlfriend’s candid suggestion.

“Wanna bet?” Tobin retorts, already shifting towards Christen in her seat.

Christen’s posture slouches at Tobin’s determination, knowing the soccer player is serious. She eyes her while checking her phone for the time. “Don’t you have to be -?” Christen’s question is cut off by her own squealing reaction as Tobin hops over to the passenger side, settling onto Christen’s lap.

“I’ll be on time,” Tobin insists, dipping her head so that her lips can meet Christen’s. She leans into their kiss, quickly deepening it with her tongue as Christen’s hands trail across her ribs first over, and then underneath Tobin’s t-shirt. Tobin leans back slightly to take a breath, startled by Christen’s green eyes suddenly looking back at her. 

“What?”

The green-eyed girl sighs quietly, dropping her eyes to her hands where they’re resting on Tobin’s thighs. She looks back up at Tobin, mentally coaching herself that she has to share what’s on her mind. “What if someone sees?” she mumbles, her eyes fixed on Tobin’s and filled with worry. “I know you said not to worry but…” 

Tobin sinks onto Christen’s knees as she feels her girlfriend’s concern melt her previous desires away. Now all she wants is to wrap Christen up in her arms and reassure her, once again, that she’s not even a little bit interested in anyone’s opinion of their relationship. 

“Baby,” she sighs at Christen, kneading her fingers into the dark-haired girl’s shoulders as she speaks. “How do I convince you that I’m not worried about it? I’m not even interested in what anyone might say. We got past my parents and that’s it -- I’m done worrying about other people’s opinions of me and my relationship. I am so in love with you, and I’m not gonna stop myself from showing you just because someone might see us and blog about it or whatever. Let them blog!” she explains, her tone increasingly desperate as Christen watches her blankly, lost in her own thoughts. 

“No one blogs anymore, Tobin,” Christen mentions softly, laughing to herself. “But I hear you,” she reassures her girlfriend, reaching up to brush the stray hairs away from Tobin’s face. “I guess the more I think about it, the more freaked out I let myself become. I just don’t know how any of this works. I couldn’t even maintain a relationship for longer than a week, or one night even, before I met you, and I definitely wasn’t falling in love with someone who’s like, in the spotlight around here.”

“I wouldn’t say that -”

“Little girls wear your jersey to your games and scream your name until they can’t anymore, Tobin,” Christen deadpans, tickling her girlfriend’s ribs with her fingertips to lighten things up again. She pulls the laughing woman by down the waist until her lips meet Tobin’s again, and Christen smiles into their kiss as she feels Tobin breathe a small sigh across her face. Pulling away, Christen looks Tobin in the eye as she adds, “There are teenagers who would kill for this, did you know?” 

“What?” the soccer player asks flatly, both confused and not amused by what she thinks must be a joke. 

“Oh yeah,” Christen reiterates. “ _They’re_ the ones I’m most scared of, not the ignorant, homophobic people out there. Just the thirsty teens who would probably jump you on the spot if given the chance,” she jests with a twinkle in her eye as Tobin squirms uncomfortably. “I read all about it while stuck in bed this week,” she concludes matter-of-factly. 

Groaning, Tobin replies, “I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear any of that. Now, where was I?” She dips her head toward Christen’s jaw, peppering kisses across it before moving down her neck slowly. 

“Tobin,” Christen prompts, her voice airy as her girlfriend’s lips trail across her skin. “Baby, we have to get going,” she adds, rubbing her hands across Tobin’s back. 

The soccer player looks over her shoulder at the clock on her dashboard. She had insisted that Christen let her come for the removal of her stitches, despite the fact that she needs to be at the soccer stadium by 10:30 this morning for practice before the team’s afternoon game. She knew they’d be rushing, but she couldn’t imagine sending Christen back to the hospital alone. 

“Okay,” Tobin exhales, stealing one more kiss from Christen. They have just enough time for Tobin to drop Christen off at home on her way to the stadium. “Don’t you think we’re not coming back to this later,” she promises as she crawls back into the driver’s seat, giving Christen a wink while she buckles her seatbelt. 

“If you win today, sure,” Christen challenges, one eyebrow raised at her girlfriend. 

Tobin grumbles to herself at the tension between them as she turns the key in the ignition, causing Christen to giggle with satisfaction. She reaches her hand across the gear shift, searching for her girlfriend’s hand and interlacing their fingers when Christen obliges. 

“I know what I want to do later,” Christen breaks the silence, returning to her previous point. “Or whenever we can, I guess,” she adds hesitantly, glancing at Tobin for confirmation that she’s listening while she drives. “We haven’t been on a real date in a while,” Christen suggests, her voice quiet and thoughtful. 

Tobin smiles, squeezing her girlfriend’s hand. “I can make that happen,” she concurs, earning a kiss on the cheek from Christen.

****

…

“Yes, Tobin! Yes, yes, yes!”

The midfielder beams, her arms wide as Alex sprints toward her with elation. She catches the forward, laughing happily as Alex continues to praise her for the finish that just put them in the lead with a score of 2-1. 

Meanwhile, Christen is on her feet in front of her seat at the edge of the supporters’ exclusive section behind the very goal she just watched Tobin sail the ball into. She laughs along with the two teammates as Alex wraps herself around Tobin, shouting praise at her. 

It was the final minute of the game, and Christen had been quite literally on the edge of her seat as Tobin had served up a perfect opportunity for Alex, and when Alex lost her footing against an opposing defender and missed the shot, the entire crowd had deflated. A few seconds later, and to everyone’s surprise, the ball found its way to the back of the net anyway, this time off the foot of Tobin herself. The midfielder’s goal secured the win for her team and as the final whistles blew, the home crowd and the players went wild for Tobin. 

Somehow, through all the celebration around her, Tobin now manages to find the most important face in the crowd. Just as Alex slides out of Tobin’s arms, the midfielder’s eyes land on Christen and she gives the dark-haired girl the widest grin she can manage, bobbing her head around her celebrating teammates as they flutter past her. Christen blows Tobin a kiss, giggling loudly as she gestures as if she’s catching it and pressing it to her cheek. 

_I’ll see you soon_ , Tobin mouths at her from the pitch, waving her hands around to make her point before she’s called toward the team gathering. Christen nods, still smiling as she chews her lip and watches Tobin walk away. She stays put for another brief moment, unable to peel her eyes away from her girlfriend as she laughs and stretches with her teammates near midfield. Finally, Christen looks away and begins to gather her belongings. She’s startled when she looks down the aisle to see a group of young people staring at her, mouths gaping.

“Hi,” she mumbles warily, glancing toward the onlookers as she pulls her bag onto her shoulder.

“Do you, like, _know_ her?” a girl from the group asks with intrigue. “Tobin Heath,” she clarifies. 

“Yeah, did she just talk to you?” another girl echoes from over the shoulder of the first.

“Um,” Christen fumbles, unsure about the appropriate way to answer. “Yeah, but we’re just -”

“Didn’t look like ‘just friends’ to me!” a boy from the group exclaims, looking to his friends with a proud grin, like he’s just discovered something. The group nods and giggles along with him before they all look back at Christen expectantly. 

Christen glances toward the pitch, noticing that the team has trickled inside during this conversation. Just as she begins to feel trapped, her phone buzzes inside her bag. Thank God, she thinks, breathing a sigh of relief. 

“Sorry, you guys are gonna have to excuse me,” she quickly supplies, waving at the group of teens as she swipes across her phone’s screen to accept the call. 

“You have amazing timing,” she mentions, slightly breathless as she paces away from her seat toward the exit.

“Huh?” Tobin mumbles into her phone as she pulls a hoodie over her head. “What happened?” she asks, speaking more clearly as she grabs her gear bag and heads toward the door, immediately searching for Christen as she crosses into the parking lot behind the locker room.

“I’m right here,” Christen says, giggling as she appears behind her girlfriend, who jumps at the surprise. Tobin ends their call and pockets her cell phone, wrapping her arms around Christen as she does the same. 

“Everything okay?” Tobin asks again when she hears Christen sigh into her neck.

“Yeah,” the dark-haired girl murmurs, squeezing her arms tighter around Tobin’s ribcage. “I kinda just wanna run away with you and never see anyone else,” she adds quietly, laughing softly at herself. “That’s silly, isn’t it?” she wonders aloud, peeling her head back to look at her girlfriend. 

“Actually,” Tobin begins, reaching a hand into the back pocket of her torn jeans. 

Christen releases her from their embrace, stepping back slightly to watch Tobin. Her face scrunches with confusion when she spots a long white envelope in the soccer player’s hand.

“We can,” the brown-eyed woman confirms, referring to Christen’s wish from moments ago. She hands the envelope over to Christen, watching her with an anticipatory smirk.

Christen eyes Tobin suspiciously as she gently tears off the end of the envelope before sliding out two rectangles of thick paper. She squints her green eyes at the black print in the dim parking lot lighting, gasping quietly as she realizes what Tobin has just handed her.

“We’re going to _France_?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I left you guys hanging, before and after this one, but I have the follow-up to this chapter coming soon! Thanks for being the best readers ever. :)


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pardon my French (it's been a few years) and pardon ME for losing track of time on this fic. I also quite literally lost this new chapter a while back and couldn't find the time to rewrite until now. ANYWAY, here it is and there's more where this came from!

Tobin’s sleepy gaze drifts around the spacious cabin as she wakes up, stretching her legs into the aisle beside her. She looks to her left, toward her sleeping girlfriend, and she smiles to herself as she takes in Christen’s cozy, curled posture, wrapped in the blanket they brought from home because Christen had insisted that the airline-provided ones are “basically thin sheets of sandpaper.” Tobin stretches her arms above her head before her fingertips reach toward the screen in front of her, secured into the back of the headrest of the next seat forward. She taps across the screen, tracing their path from Florida toward Paris, and she exhales contentedly when she realizes they’ve only got another hour or so of flying. 

The soccer player leans toward Christen’s sleeping form, trying to catch a glimpse out the window her head is resting against without waking her. As if she can sense Tobin’s closeness, the dark-haired woman stirs slowly, shifting her body until her back is to the window. Without opening her eyes, she reaches for Tobin, snuggling into her side beneath her arm. Tobin smiles as Christen settles in again. She presses a soft kiss to her girlfriend’s forehead before reaching into her pocket to retrieve her phone. She taps the in-flight Wi-Fi on, knowing this is likely her last opportunity, at least until they make it to Paris.

After opening her email account, Tobin scrolls through the same message she’s been reading over and over for some weeks now. She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, nipping nervously at the dry skin there caused by the plane’s lack of humidity. _We look forward to the opportunity to meet you and discuss this offer in person at your convenience_ , she reads again, despite having memorized this email entirely. 

The soccer player sighs, mentally kicking herself for having waited so long before telling Christen about this. _You seriously don’t even have the guts to bring it up to your girlfriend? The longer you wait, the worse it gets_ , she complains internally as her head falls backward onto the stiff headrest. Frustrated, she squeezes her brown eyes shut, rehearsing in her head the way she wants to talk about this, once again. A few minutes pass and her thoughts drift back to the day this email pinged into her inbox.

**. . .**

_“Paris?” Tobin mumbles, squinting at the small screen in her palm. The beaming sun above her makes the email she just opened nearly impossible to read._

_“Are you talking to yourself again?” Alex teases from where she lies, sprawled across a blanket spread on her large back deck._

_Tobin slides off her chair and onto her feet, sticking out her tongue at the forward on her way toward the glass French doors that lead to Alex’s modern kitchen. Once inside, Tobin leans her elbows onto the counter and continues reading - more easily now - the paragraphs that fill her phone’s screen._

_“Next off season… Trial towards a longer contract…” she murmurs aloud as she reads what appears to be an offer letter, scanned and emailed to her by her current manager. “Great opportunity?” she says, louder this time as some confusion sets in._

_Tobin turns on her heel and steps back outside, her brow furrowed and eyes squinting in the sunlight. Alex peeks curiously at her over the top of her sunglasses, waiting for an explanation._

_“Coach sent me an offer from PSG,” Tobin states blankly, her jaw a little slack. She remains standing in the doorway between indoors and outdoors, clutching her phone in her hand._

_“Oooh, Paris! So fun,” Alex responds with delight, pushing herself up onto her elbows to better look at her friend. “Right?”_

_“Lex, I can’t go to Paris,” Tobin insists, her eyes widening on the last word as her mind reels. “What about -?”_

_“Christen,” Alex supplies, assuming that’s where Tobin’s thoughts would immediately go._

_“Yeah,” Tobin exhales as she plops down onto the deck in front of her blue-eyed friend._

_“Tobs…” the forward begins, trailing off hesitantly because she knows this is a sensitive subject._

_“I know I wouldn’t have said ‘no’ before,” Tobin insists, filling in Alex’s blanks. “But I have to say ‘no’ now.” Her brown eyes are full of determination as she raises them to meet Alex’s._

_“Stubborn,” Alex mumbles, shaking her head. “Why don’t you just talk to her about it? See what she says? Talk to coach, too.”_

_“I know what Chris will say,” Tobin answers, her words spilling out too quickly as her emotions rise into her chest, creating a stinging knot there. Tobin can hear her girlfriend’s words of support already, in Christen’s usual smooth, sweet tone. The knot in her chest seems to twist tighter around itself as Tobin thinks about Christen insisting that she supports her and thinks it’s a great opportunity and they could work out their relationship…_

_“At least talk to coach,” Alex repeats, not willing to let Tobin give up on the possibility yet. “You can’t ignore this, Tobin. Six or seven months ago, you would’ve said ‘yes’ and hopped on a plane tomorrow.”_

_Tobin doesn’t reply, averting her gaze toward the lush, green yard down the stairs from where they sit. She’s right, Tobin admits to herself silently. You’re settling and is that really you? Does Tobin Heath really just fall in love and bail on her career?_

_Before her thoughts can spiral too far away, Tobin hears Alex’s fingers snapping, bringing her back to the here and now. “Call coach,” Alex instructs, settling her hand on Tobin’s bare knee to keep her friend grounded. “Start there and stop panicking.”_

_Tobin nods slowly. She picks up her phone once again, tapping out the appropriate phone number and lifting the device to her ear. Her motions feel slow as her mind continues wandering during the call’s several rings._ You are in love with her _, Tobin reminds herself, trying to justify her reaction._ It would be fine to say no, for her. You could say no for her and stay here and settle, be happy _… Her thoughts are cut off when the call is finally answered._

_“Tobin! You called quickly. Does that mean you’re into this?”_

**. . .**

The soccer player had fumbled through that phone call, her words and thoughts still clouded with confusion. Alex had coached her, mumbling and mouthing the right words and phrases at her after putting the call on speakerphone so that she could keep up. They decided together - Alex, Tobin, and their coach - that Tobin needed some time to think on it, but that she’d benefit from a visit to PSG. “See the city, meet the girls, figure it out,” their coach had repeated one too many times, causing the line to sound like a cheesy bumper sticker.

Once Tobin decided she’d make a couple’s vacation out of the visit, Alex took over all the planning, using her own past playing time in France to help Tobin with most of the bookings. Tobin had decided to surprise Christen with the tickets solely because she had failed to talk to Christen about the PSG offer beforehand, despite the many opportunities she’d had and all the time she spent working up to it. 

“Please return all seats and tray-tables to their upright positions and ensure that your seat belts are fastened as we prepare for landing.” 

The voice from the overhead speakers startles Christen awake, and she hums quietly as she uncurls herself into a full-body stretch. Tobin shakes her thoughts away for now, shifting her focus back to the woman next to her.

“Hey, sunshine,” Tobin murmurs, laughing softly as Christen nuzzles back into her shoulder. 

Moving quickly but steadily in hopes that Christen won’t notice, the soccer player opens her phone’s screen once more just long enough to close the email. She hopes it won’t haunt her too much during their first night in Paris.

Without missing a beat, Christen comments, “That looked important.” She wriggles closer to Tobin’s neck, trying to peek at the screen before it goes dark again. “Was that our schedule?” 

Tobin isn’t fooled by Christen’s casual snooping, and she sets her phone aside. “Remember our deal?” she chides her girlfriend, pressing a kiss to her forehead. 

Christen groans lowly, squeezing Tobin’s arm to emphasize her frustration. “Yes and I’d like to propose some amendments to said deal,” she insists, offering the soccer player a bright smile and a flutter of her long, dark lashes.

“No can do, babe,” Tobin replies with a shrug. She returns her girlfriend’s grin as she stretches her legs out toward the aisle again. “You need a break from schedules and routines and time management. Let me take care -”

Christen’s sigh interrupts Tobin. “I know, I know. But you only gave me five minutes to ask questions the other night after the game and that definitely was not enough time. I only got through two questions!” 

Tobin chuckles at her girlfriend’s exasperation. “You are the only person I know who would be so worried about going on vacation.”

“It’s the surprise factor that gets me, and you know that,” Christen retorts, sitting up straight and angling herself toward the soccer player as much as she can with her seat belt tightened across her lap.

“Well, my last surprise sent you to the hospital, so I’m trying to make up for it,” Tobin defends lightheartedly. She reaches for Christen’s hand and laces their fingers together. 

“Then there was the Jeep…” Christen mumbles, feeling her concern begin to melt away as Tobin’s thumb traces circles across her hand. “So many surprises,” she adds weakly. “What’s next - our wedding?”

“Chris,” Tobin begins, waiting for eye contact. “I’m here, you’re off work, and Morena is with Alex and Servando. Everything important is covered. This is for us and there isn’t anything to worry about. Plus, there’s nothing to pout about with a view like that,” she concludes, pointing out the window behind Christen. 

The dark-haired girl turns her chin over her left shoulder, blinking so her eyes can focus on the landscape below them. She inhales deeply to soothe her mind as they soar over the outskirts of Paris. With an exhale, she turns back toward Tobin. “You’re right,” she admits, her chin dipping as she gives in.

“Love you,” Tobin responds warmly as she pulls Christen’s hand toward her lips to kiss it. 

“I love you, too. No more huge surprises, though, unless you want to accompany me to the hospital again,” Christen teases before her gaze returns to the window, where she quietly focuses on the scenery until the plane lands. 

“I’ll do my best,” Tobin replies, nervously rubbing her free hand across her neck. “I can’t make any promises,” she mutters inaudibly with a sigh.

**. . .**

“Hello, hello, _mes amies_!” a white-haired woman exclaims as she opens the red door with the heavy knocker that Tobin had just tapped against the painted wood seconds earlier. The woman hurriedly wipes her small, wrinkled hands on the floral apron tied around her waist before reaching for first Tobin’s, then Christen’s shoulders, pulling each of them down toward her to greet them with a kiss to each cheek.

“I am Marie-Rose,” the small woman continues once the couple has stepped inside. “Welcome, welcome. You should pardon my English,” Marie-Rose adds quickly. She speaks with a thick French accent that makes Christen smile sweetly. “And you are?” she prompts slowly, wringing her hands nervously now as she looks between the young women.

“I’m Tobin,” the soccer player quickly supplies with a lazy smile before allowing her eyes to wander around the room they just stepped into. Where are we? she wonders silently.

“Tobin,” Marie-Rose repeats, as if feeling out the unfamiliar name with her voice.

“ _Je suis Christen, madam, et vos Anglais est parfait_!” Christen says, her words flowing beautifully with an accent all her own. Tobin stares at her girlfriend, slack-jawed. 

“Ah, _oui_!” Marie-Rose utters with delight, her hands tossed in the air in surprise. “ _Très bien, ma chérie_!”

Tobin looks between the two with a blank expression, confused beyond words. 

“ _Suivez-moi, s’il vous plaît_.” With a smile, the old woman beckons them onward into the other rooms of the house.

Christen interlaces her fingers with Tobin’s, happily bouncing down the hall behind Marie-Rose, whose dark navy-colored dress is speckled all over with flour and other cooking ingredients, in spite of the apron tied around her middle. The couple follows the woman down a short hall, where the walls are dotted with framed photographs and amateur paintings, toward a small kitchen that smells like lemons and sugar. 

“Please, pardon me,” the woman asks of them, her voice high-pitched and hurried as she rushes toward an old oven while tugging a thick mitt onto her left hand. She retrieves a baking tray from within and turns toward Tobin and Christen with a grin, tilting the tray so they can see what it holds. “ _Tartes aux citron_ ,” Marie-Rose murmurs, smiling sweetly as Christen inhales the scent of the freshly baked miniature pies. 

“How lovely,” Christen compliments, looking around the cozy kitchen. She lets out a quiet gasp as her eyes land on the view of a tiny garden beyond a glass door. “ _Et votre jardin, c'est tres magnifique_!” she exclaims, looking back at Marie-Rose, who nods with a grin and motions for them to go out to look around. 

Tobin follows her girlfriend out, releasing Christen’s hand as the dark-haired girl flutters about the bright outdoor space, bringing flowers to her face to smell and tracing her fingers across a small mosaic-topped table before lowering herself onto one of the chairs accompanying it.

“This is perfect,” Christen breathes, beaming up at Tobin, who hasn’t budged since they stepped outside.

Sighing, Tobin looks around the garden, then turns back toward the house with a wrinkled brow. “This isn’t right…” she mumbles. 

“What did you say, baby?”

“This isn’t how I thought this would be when we booked it,” Tobin practically whines, turning on her heel and plopping into the chair across from Christen. “There was no _Marie-Rose_ , no _pies_ , no _picture frames_ ,” she emphasizes as her head falls into her hands on the table and her voice trails off into a groan. “This is all wrong.”

Christen frowns slightly as she reaches out to smooth her girlfriend’s hair. “But…” she begins, her voice soft and cautious. “I really love it. It seems right to me,” she insists, trying to reassure Tobin. “I don’t know what you expected, but… I think this is great.”

The soccer player lifts her head, resting her chin on her hands so that she can look at Christen. She is suddenly overwhelmed with fatigue and frustration, and she finds herself chewing the inside of her cheek to hold back the few tears that have welled up in the corners of her eyes as she takes in Christen’s gracious smile. 

“Really?” Tobin croaks, her worried face relaxing slightly. 

Christen nods rapidly. “ _Oui, oui_ ,” she adds with a giggle, hoping for a smile from her girlfriend.

“How did all this French come back to you so fast?” Tobin asks. “I mean, it’s not like you actually got to practice or read those books you had at home…” she adds, trailing off with a sly grin as she watches the memories register in Christen’s mind and her face reacts with raised eyebrows. 

“Right, because _someone_ couldn’t keep her hands to herself in bed every time I opened a book.”

“And definitely not when you were dancing around the kitchen saying _who knows what_ in that cute little accent,” Tobin confirms, still grinning as Christen laughs at her. When their laughter subsides, Tobin yawns. “Can we go to bed?” 

Christen doesn’t argue. She doesn’t check her watch, comment about the amount of daylight left for them to enjoy, or even suggest just a quick nap. Instead, she carries both Tobin’s suitcase and her own up the narrow staircase to their assigned bedroom of Marie-Rose’s spacious home, and she bursts into laughter when she opens the door. Tobin bumps into her from behind as Christen halts in the doorway. 

“What now?” Tobin groans.

“Look,” Christen exhales, still chuckling as she moves aside for Tobin to enter the bedroom. 

“Oh,” Tobin manages to mumble. She stares blankly across the room for a moment as she tries to think of how this possibly could have happened. “Oh,” she repeats, this time with a little more meaning as she realizes the mistake she made. She turns to Christen to explain.

“The online description for this place was all in French, Chris. I guess it didn’t translate right or something, but I didn’t want your help because I wanted to surprise you, but...”

Christen nods for Tobin to continue, an amused smile playing at her lips. 

“So I thought I was booking a whole house _just for us_ , and I guess I read a sentence about there being a single bed, and I just assumed that meant one bedroom in the house I thought we’d have all to _ourselves_ …” Tobin trails off, sighing again as Christen’s small smile peels into a wide grin. “I didn’t think it meant we’d have a bed big enough for a single _person_ ,” the soccer player whines, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder at the metal-framed twin bed by the window behind her. “Oh, God,” she groans again, squeezing her eyes shut as she tugs her hair into a messy ponytail like she does when she’s either hyper-focused or hyper-stressed. She chews her bottom lip again as she mentally scolds herself for not accepting Alex’s help on everything.

Finally releasing her grip on their suitcases and letting the bags drop to the floor, Christen breathes in deeply, releasing the breath through her nostrils with a pointed look at her girlfriend. She repeats her inhale, louder this time, as she waits for Tobin to play along. After her third exhale, Tobin finally joins in, sucking in a quick breath with a stubborn wrinkle across her forehead. 

“There,” Christen murmurs as she watches her girlfriend’s shoulders droop as she lets go of some tension. The green-eyed woman closes the space between them and wraps her arms around Tobin’s neck, pulling her close. “You didn’t mess up, okay?” 

She feels Tobin’s chin press into her shoulder as she nods slowly. Tobin sinks into Christen’s embrace as she both relaxes from her frustration and allows her fatigue to return. Christen presses a kiss to the side of her head before pulling back a bit to look at her girlfriend.  
“What do you always tell me?” she prompts with her grey-green eyes focused on Tobin’s face. 

The soccer player blinks a few times before mumbling, “Don’t be so hard on yourself.” 

“Right,” Christen nods. “Look, I’m going to go find Marie-Rose and ask if we could switch to one of the other rooms I saw on the way up, okay? You sit, and look out the window to remind yourself that we’re in freakin’ France, and nothing can really go wrong in a place like this,” she concludes with a loving smile as she tucks a few escaped hairs behind Tobin’s ears. 

Tobin only nods, her face falling into an exhausted frown as she allows Christen to guide her backwards toward the bed. She flops onto the edge, looking up at Christen with her best attempt at an appreciative smile. “Love you,” she mumbles.

Christen leans down to press her lips to Tobin’s before whispering, “I love you so, _so_ much, Tobin Heath.”

Once the dark-haired girl has darted out of the room, her footsteps light as she bounds down the stairway again, Tobin recalls something Christen said moments earlier. _Nothing can really go wrong in a place like this._ She groans again as she thinks, _Little does she know..._

**. . .**

Tobin smiles to herself at the sound of Christen’s sparkling laughter as she pushes open the big red door after returning from a morning jog through the neighborhood. She rests her arms atop her head as she stretches side-to-side in the doorway. She gently kicks off her sneakers into a corner before tiptoeing down the hall so as not to interrupt the goings-on in the kitchen.

Once the two finally settled into a room with a bed large enough for the two of them last night, Tobin fell asleep in what seemed like seconds, happy to give in to the stress and jet-lag that had been tugging at her eyelids all afternoon. She slept soundly, with Christen snuggled into her side, until a vibration of her phone startled her awake in the early hours of the morning. She had an immediate flashback to the messages about PSG she’d been avoiding, but she was relieved to find it was only a message from Alex, checking in on them since their arrival. Tobin had tapped out a quick response before sliding her phone back onto the nightstand, but she found herself unable to go back to sleep. Rather than tossing and turning, she chose to get out of bed and quietly dress for a run, knowing that would clear her mind. 

While jogging, Tobin allowed herself to really mull over what it would mean to move her career here, to Paris, thousands of miles away from her friends, her family that she’s only recently made nice with again, and most important of all, Christen. Just like the day before, she felt a few tears wet the corners of her eyes as she pondered, but today, she pushed through with a deep breath and ramped up her speed down the picturesque streets. _You can do this_ , she silently chanted. On the way back to their temporary home, Tobin slowed to a jog, rehearsing her speech to Christen one last time. She found herself imagining Christen’s facial expression and her likely response. As she bounded up the steps onto Marie-Claire’s stoop, Tobin rolled her eyes and sighed at herself for creating this troubling situation in the first place. 

Now, leaning against the doorway into Marie-Claire’s vintage kitchen, Tobin smiles as she listens to Christen murmuring short French responses as their host tells her a story in broken French and English, waving her small, floured hands about while she talks. The two women have their backs turned to Tobin, and the soccer player can’t help but appreciate one final moment to herself before she breaks the news to Christen.

Finally, Tobin clears her throat gently to get the women’s attention. “Good morning,” she says softly as Christen spins around at the sound of her girlfriend’s voice. Tobin’s stomach flutters as she looks Christen over, noting the way the morning sunlight catches her green eyes. Tobin inhales deeply before looking to Marie-Claire. “May I borrow your helper, _madam_?” she asks with a smile, thanking the older woman when she nods in response. Tobin motions for Christen to follow her outside to the garden patio and the dark-haired woman laughs softly, dusting baking flour off her hands as she follows. 

“Hi, you,” Christen murmurs as she approaches Tobin and smoothes her post-run flyaways against her head. “How was your run? I would’ve come with you, you know.” 

Tobin nods briefly, wanting to skip the sweet small talk and make her point before she loses her confidence and composure. “I needed to think,” she explains shortly. She allows her eyes to wander away from Christen’s face as she already feels intimidated by her girlfriend’s early morning beauty. 

Christen cranes her neck, moving her head to try to stay in Tobin’s line of view. “What’s wrong?” 

Tobin inhales again, nervously this time. “Uhh…” she begins. “Okay, I’ll say it fast,” she mumbles as Christen watches her calmly. “A couple weeks ago, I got an offer to play for a different team, and -” Tobin cuts herself off as she watches Christen nod. She was hoping Christen would begin asking questions to help move the conversation along, but of course, she’s only met with silence and patient green eyes. 

Suddenly, Tobin is rambling, her words spilling out faster than she can think. “It’s here. It’s the team here in Paris, Paris Saint-Germain. Coach forwarded the offer to me and I’ve been too scared to tell you because I didn’t know what you’d say. Well, I did know - I thought you’d try to talk me into it but I don’t want to leave you just to play here, and I like my team now, and things were just settling down at home, so I couldn’t shake everything up by telling you, so I just didn’t tell you. I put it off and put it off, and then I had this _brilliant_ idea to bring you here like a vacation so I can go meet PSG, but I couldn’t sneak away without telling you first and I was going to say something last night but then we ended up _here_ with _her_ , which was not what I expected -”

“Tobin,” Christen interrupts, almost in a whisper. “Honey,” she soothes as she moves closer to her nervous girlfriend, who had begun shuffling around the patio while she ranted. “I don’t know what to say first,” Christen admits with a sigh as she reaches for Tobin’s hands, interlacing their fingers.

“Oh, God,” Tobin grumbles. “I -”

“No, no,” Christen stops her. “Listen. I’m pretty frustrated that you didn’t feel like you could tell me this sooner.” She stops, giving Tobin a pointed look with her bright eyes. “Because I love you, and I never want you to feel like you have to keep things from me.” Christen pauses and watches Tobin nod at her. “How about we figure this out over breakfast so we can have fun for the rest of the week?” 

Tobin watches Christen smile at her and suddenly all of the stress and tension that had built up inside her since she received that email begins to melt away. “Sorry,” she mumbles, still shuffling her feet around in front of her like a child. 

Before Christen can respond, Marie-Claire bursts through the back door into the garden. She’s carrying a large tray piled high with coffee, fruit, and freshly baked pastries. “Breakfast for two!” she exclaims happily, earning a laugh from the couple as they meet her at the small table on the patio. 

“We got this,” Christen whispers to Tobin, giving her hand a quick squeeze before helping their host transfer dishes from the tray onto the table. Tobin smiles sheepishly and nods at her girlfriend. 

_The hardest part is over_ , the soccer player tells herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The perfect couple, am I right? Tell me what you think, tell me what you want (what you really, really want), etc. You rock, readers!


End file.
